Demon Portal
by Dark-Kitsune-45
Summary: What happens when a demon falls into the world of Trigun? Chaos, detruction and mayhem! The first chapter in the Demon Portal series begins in Trigun...where will the insanity spread next?
1. Chapter 1

~ A door slams and your authoress walks on stage, followed by Shira.

Kurane: Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter one of Demon Portal!

Confetti and balloons come streaming down from the ceiling and cheesy celebration music starts playing.

Shira: This is her first fic, so you'll have to excuse her if she's a bit crazy. If we're lucky, this insanity won't last long.

Kurane: Insanity? This is me on a normal day. Anyway, here's chapter one! ~

Chapter one

Kurane was sitting on a bench in the garden her muses cared for, and wondering why Vash had seemed so sad lately. She wasn't paying much attention, and so she didn't hear Raenef approach, "Onee-sama?"

She jumped, but relaxed when she saw the young Demon Lord, "Sheesh Raenef! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He tilted his head to the side, "Where do you want to go?"

She raised her eyebrow, "Come again?"

He smiled, "You want to visit Vash-san right? I'll teleport you there!"

As Raenef began casting, Kurane realized something, "Wait a minute! Raenef, you don't know how to –" Her shout was cut off as a portal appeared behind her and she was pulled in; landing with a thud on a grassy hill. She looked around, the place was beautiful; flowers, grass, trees, and hills everywhere. She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, this place was awfully familiar.

She yawned, and checked for any injuries. She looked herself over carefully, something was different...was it just her, or had she gotten smaller? She checked herself again, and a quiet curse escaped her lips, "What the hell am I doing in my eleven year old body?" She thought for a moment, and then cursed again, "Damn! It must be a side effect of that portal spell! I'm gonna remove Raenef's teleportation magic when..._if_ I get back."

That was when a door opened and she heard a familiar voice, "Hey get back here!"

A laughing voice responded, "You'll have to run faster than that if you want to catch me!" Kurane narrowed her eyes in concentration and thought to herself, 'Those voices are familiar, but they sound so...young. Vash and Knives as little kids...? Waitaminute! Now I know why this place is so familiar! This is the rec. room of the ship they grew up on!'

Another familiar voice spoke, "Rem, why are we visiting this room? We'll be arriving at the new planet soon; we should head for the bridge."

Rem smiled, "I know, but I wanted to see this room so I can imagine the new world we'll create." Kurane smirked, 'Rem never changes, always the dreamer...'

A blonde-haired, green eyed, eleven year old boy interrupted her thoughts, "Hi, I'm Vash! What's your name?"

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, "K-kurane."

He grinned and pulled her to her feet, "C'mon let's go see Rem!" As Vash pulled her along behind him, Kurane noticed that a boy who looked exactly like Vash, only with blue eyes instead of green, was watching with curiosity.

She soon found herself facing two women, one tall with long black hair, and the other somewhat shorter and with red hair. The tall woman smiled her, "Hello there, who are you?"

She bowed, "My name is Kurane."

Rem smiled, and pointed to the others in turn, "This is Vash, Knives, Mary, and my name is Rem. You are on a ship headed to colonize a planet, though we haven't found a suitable one yet, I'm sure it won't be too much longer."

Mary cleared her throat, "We really should be headed for the bridge now." Rem nodded and they left the rec. room to walk down the corridor. As they entered the control room, Kurane hesitated for a moment until she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She walked into the room throwing Steve a dangerous scowl as she walked by him.

He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, "What was that glare for you little brat!?!" she scowled and punched him in the stomach. As she walked away, he collapsed on the floor, breathless. Wordlessly, Kurane walked over to the wall and grabbed a chair placing it next to the one Vash sat in.

Rem stood silent for a minute, unsure what to think about this small child who had so easily taken down Steve. Finally, somewhat uneasily, she gestured to Kurane, "Joey, Rowan, and...Steve...this is Kurane. She has just joined us."

Joey, the acting captain, looked at the girl, who was sitting calmly in a chair beside Vash, 'That girl must be a plant like Vash and Knives...this could be interesting. Who the hell am I kidding; this is going to be a war.'

Rowan looked at Steve, then at Kurane, 'She just took down Steve...I like her better already.'

Mary sized up the girl, 'She doesn't look like much, but she's strong...maybe Steve will behave now that she's here. I like her better already...even though there's no way she's human.'

Knives watched Kurane, who was chatting with Vash, 'She's not human, that much is certain. Is she a plant then? She could be useful to me.'

Steve crawled to his feet and looked at the cheerful Kurane with disgust, 'She's a monster like the other two! I'll have to keep my eyes on her.'

Joey smiled, "The planet should be within visual range any moment now!" Vash handed Kurane a party hat, and she decided to humor him and put it on. He reached into a bag and pulled out a few other things, namely a fake mustache, a disguise and four confetti guns. She held the guns while he put on his disguise, and then handed three of the confetti guns back to him.

Everyone cheered as the image of the planet came up on the screen, Kurane turned to Vash with a grin and they fired the confetti guns at the same time. Rem smiled, "I hope it has flowers! If it does I hope they're red ones!"

Kurane smiled, "That would nice, wouldn't it Vash?" She turned to him, he was covered in confetti, and she burst out laughing.

Vash pulled out more confetti guns and fired them, covering Kurane in confetti. She glared at him for a moment, and then began the war of the confetti guns. Vash turned to Knives, and to get him to join in the confetti war, shot a confetti gun at him. By the time the three were done running around shooting confetti at each other, the entire control room was covered in confetti and they were laughing uncontrollably.

She looked over at Knives; he was smiling; not a cruel sadistic smile, but an honestly happy smile. She sighed, 'I had better not get used to him smiling like that, otherwise...' Her thoughts were interrupted as Vash pounced on her and she fell to the floor with a startled cry. Vash smiled, "Cheer up Imouto-san!"

Her eyes widened, "Vash, did you just call me Imouto-san?" He nodded, now kneeling in front of her. She raised her eyebrow, "Why?"

His expression said that it should be obvious, "Because you're like the little sister I never had!"

She laughed and hugged him, "You're such a baby!" Once she disentangled herself from Vash, she tackled Knives, and the three burst out laughing and roughhousing while Rowan and Mary began the various tests of the planet. Joey left to read in his quarters, Steve left grumbling and cursing, and Rem watched them with a smile.

Rem looked down at Kurane; she was wearing a blood-red stone on a gold chain around her neck. She hadn't noticed that before, it must have been under her shirt, she smiled, "That's a beautiful necklace Kurane, who gave it to you?"

She looked down at the necklace, a look of confusion crossing her face, "I don't know. I didn't even know I had it until you mentioned it."

Vash and Knives looked at the stone, "Wow, that's beautiful!" After admiring the stone for a few minutes, Vash ran off down the hall, followed by Knives shouting, "See you at lunch!"

Rem and Kurane were now alone in the control room, so it seemed like a good time to discuss Kurane's behavior towards Steve. Rem looked at Kurane, who had the expression of one expecting a serious talk, "Kurane, why did you glare at Steve?"

She frowned, "I could see his hatred for Vash and Knives in his eyes. He's dangerous Rem."

She nodded, "Perhaps...but still, you shouldn't have hit him."

Kurane looked Rem full in the eyes, "He was going to hit me, so I defended myself."

Rem put her hand on Kurane's shoulder, "There are better ways of solving conflicts than fighting. Talking things through is the best way to resolve a conflict without violence."

Kurane's eyes hardened, "Maybe, but I swear if Steve harms Vash or Knives he'll have to answer to me." With that, Kurane left the room and went to visit the rec. room. Rem stood in the control room for a minute, caught off guard by Kurane. She left to find Vash, already knowing where he was.

----

Kurane sat on a hill in rec. room, looking at the stone, 'Where _did_ this come from? Did Raenef send this with me?'

She clenched the stone in her fist and heard Raenef's voice in her head, '_Onee-sama, I hope you're doing ok. Kurae told me to send this with you; it's called a Bloodstone. It allows you to transform into your demon form whenever you want. By the way, how's Vash-san? I hope he's doing ok!_'

She let go of the stone and sat there for a moment, 'A Bloodstone? Sounds useful, but there has to be a catch, some sort of side effect or something. Maybe if I just give it a try...it can't hurt to experiment.'

----

Rem and Vash were in the observation room overlooking the Sleep Cylinder. Vash looked up at her, "This ship is too quiet Rem. It's only you, Knives, Kurane and I. Why don't they ever wake up?"

She smiled at him, "When they reach the new world, they will need to be well rested in order to survive. Until then, we have to let them sleep." Vash still looked lonely, but he didn't say anything.

Knives walked in, "Shall we have lunch in the usual place?" The trio then left for the rec. room, where Kurane had gone.

----

Kurane stood up and clenched the stone in her hand, concentrating. She had forgotten that the others would be coming for lunch soon, and now that she remembered, she realized that her experiment would have to be short. The stone began to glow a bright red and she was blinded by it.

As the glow subsided, Kurane was alarmed to hear the door open. She quickly looked herself over, and wasn't too surprised to see that she was in her demon form. (A/N: The demon form will be described shortly.) She bit her lip, "I can't let them to see me like this." With that, she flew up into the tree behind her.

Mary, Rem, Vash, and Knives walked into the rec. room and headed for the hill where they normally ate lunch, the hill where Vash had found Kurane. Knives looked around, "Where's Kurane? I thought she was in here."

Kurane poked her head out from between the leaves, careful to hide her ears, "I'm up here."

Vash looked up at her, "How'd you get up there?" Knives narrowed his eyes, there was no way he was seeing things right, Kurane didn't have fox ears, bat wings, or a fox tail...but he swore he could see the outlines through the leaves.

She smirked, "I climbed obviously."

Rem looked concerned, "Kurane be careful, you're really high up!"

Her smirk turned slightly nervous as she realized exactly how high up in the tree she was, "It's ok...I'm not afraid of heights......ACK!!" She cried out as she slipped on a branch and fell. Vash moved just in time to catch her before she hit the ground...actually...to be more precise, he _cushioned_ her fall.

He squirmed out from underneath her, and as he looked at her, his eyes widened. Kurane had fox ears, a fox tail and bat wings? Rem gasped, "What the...?" The fox ears and tail where white, while the bat wings were red.

Kurane's eyes slowly opened, and she put a hand on her head with a grimace. She looked over at Vash, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "You?" She nodded, and then looked around at the others; their eyes were wide with shock.

She stood with a sigh and brushed herself off, "Ummm...as you can tell, I'm not human. In fact, I'm...a demon; to be specific an arctic fox demon with the wings of a bat demon."

Vash hugged her, "It's ok! You're still my Imouto-san!" Kurane smiled slightly, and hugged him back.

Rem smiled at her, "Kurane, you may be a demon, but even a demon can use its powers for good; please remember that." She nodded, and Vash tackled her while she wasn't paying attention.

He began playing with her ears, and burst out laughing, "They squeak!" She pushed him off onto the hill, and flew out of his reach. He pouted, "Hey, that's not fair!" She stuck out her tongue with a smirk.

Mary watched the young demon with distrust, "How do we know we can trust you? I mean, you just...appeared today, and to add to that, you're a demon!"

Kurane regarded the technician for a minute, noting the nervous look in her eyes, and then shrugged, "You'll just have to trust me."

She landed in front of Knives; he was the only one who hadn't voiced his feelings on the matter. He looked into her eyes, amber in her demon form, brown in her human form, "I don't care what form you choose, you're still the same person." She smiled and gave him a hug.

She clenched the stone again, and the light flared once more; when it faded, she was in her human form. She smiled at everyone, "Well, are we gonna eat, or are we just gonna stand here?" Everyone relaxed and they ate their lunch in peace. Kurane cursed, 'Great, I go saying that I can't let them see me in my demon form, and then I get clumsy. Sheesh, well at least they took it alright.'

----

Later that day, Rem showed her to her room. It was across the hall from Vash and Knives' rooms. After they all said good night, they went to bed, the next day would be busy. As Kurane lay on her bed, she thought to herself, 'If Steve tries to hurt Vash or Knives, I'll break his arms, and then his legs; and it will be _very_ slow and _very_ painful.'

----

The next day at breakfast, Kurane didn't speak; she wasn't a morning person. In fact, it was all she could do to avoid hitting the cheery Vash. She didn't want to hurt him, but did he _have_ to be so damn chipper first thing in the morning? He gave her a hug, "C'mon Kurane, wake up!"

She clenched her teeth, "I _am_ awake, unfortunately."

Rowan smirked, 'What's the matter Kurane? Not a morning person?"

She scowled at him, "Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" She forced herself to eat the breakfast in front of her, though she would much rather have gone back to bed.

Steve was at the bar, finishing a beer, he looked at her, "Little monster's not a morning person eh? Tough luck." She ignored him and began talking with Rem about the day's schedule. He scowled, "Hey! How dare you ignore me!"

She cracked her knuckles as she turned to him, "Were you saying something, Steve? I was talking to Rem, so I didn't hear you." He stormed out of the kitchen muttering angrily.

As Steve left, Knives watched Kurane with more than passing curiosity, 'She's a demon, _and_ she enjoys tormenting people...excellent. I think she will be very useful to me in my plan.'

----

Later that day, Knives was walking through the Sleep Cylinder, not knowing that Steve was nearby and in a bad mood. Kurane had seen Knives go into the room and knew that Steve was also in there, "Steve and Knives alone in the Sleep Cylinder? Sheesh! What's Knives doing, _trying_ to get beaten up?"

Steve was wandering throughout the room making sure that all the pods were functioning normally when he saw Knives standing in front of one of them. He scowled, "Knives, what the hell are you doing in here!?!" He was about to strike the boy, when he found someone standing between him and his target.

He could tell it was Kurane, but...she didn't look human, in fact, she looked like a fox, bat, and human crossed together. He backed off a step, 'What the hell?"

She sighed as she turned to him, "Steve, I should probably tell you what I am before I beat the crap out of you. Why? I dunno, I feel like it. I'm a fox demon with bat wings. There, now that that's out of the way..." She cracked her knuckles ominously and gave him an evil grin.

He moved to slap her aside so he could deal with Knives, but he found that his arm was broken. As he sank to his knees clutching his broken arm she walked over to him with a perfectly calm smirk on her face, "Don't worry Steve, that arm might have broken in three places, but it should only take four weeks to heal."

He stared at her incredulously, "How the hell could you possibly...?"

She chuckled quietly, "The breaks are clean, which will speed the healing. Now, you weren't going to hurt Knives were you?" He threw a scowl at the boy in question and stood up, ready to take a swing at him. Kurane sighed in exasperation, and before Steve realized what had happened, he was on his knees again, except this time _both_ arms were broken.

Knives watched her as she changed back to her human form, 'She's fast, strong, and sadistic...she'll _definitely_ be useful.'

She started to walk away from the two, but stopped and threw a smirk at Knives 'I'm telepathic...just to let you know, and by the way, I won't help you in your plans against the humans, and I'm _not_ a sadist.' With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Steve kneeling on the floor with both arms broken, and Knives with his eyes wide in shock.

Rem was walking down the hall and noticed Kurane leaving the Sleep Cylinder, a contented smirk on her face. Suddenly from within the room there was a scream of agony. Kurane rolled her eyes, 'I wonder what happened _this_ time.' Rem called out, "Kurane, wait! Who's in the Sleep Cylinder?"

She turned to Rem, "Knives and Steve. –" she feigned an expression of concern, "- I hope Steve didn't attack Knives!"

Rem's brow furrowed in concern, "That sounded more like Steve than Knives. Come on Kurane, we have to check it out!" The two ran into the room and quickly located the two guys. Knives was slumped against a pod, unconscious, and with a boot print evident on the side of his face.

Kurane winced when she saw Steve; judging by the swelling of his chest, he had several broken ribs, and by the angle of his leg, it wasn't hard to tell that it was broken. Despite her hatred for the man, she was glad he was unconscious. Running to the communications console, she tapped in a few commands and moments later Joey was on the line, "Joey, we need help in the Sleep Cylinder; it looks like there was a fight between Knives and Steve, they're both unconscious."

Joey nodded, "On my way." Kurane nodded and turned off the console, 'What the hell happened anyway? I leave those two alone for two minutes, and they try to kill each other! Why me? Why do _I_ have to baby sit these two?'

Rem walked over to Kurane, "Thanks for calling Joey, we're going to need help to take care of these two."

She shrugged, "Knives I'm not worried about. He took a good hit to the head, but he'll be perfectly fine. Steve on the other hand...he has broken ribs, broken arms and a broken leg. From what I can tell, the femoral artery wasn't severed, but don't take my word for it."

Her eyes widened, "Kurane, how did you...that's amazing, but how can you tell by simply looking at him?"

She shrugged, "Simple. The chest is swollen at the rib cage, indicating...six broken ribs from the looks of it. The arms are swollen, and don't look quite right, which shows that they've been broken, and the leg...I don't think _that_ needs explaining."

Knives gave a gasp as he came to, and he would have killed Steve right then and there, but he noticed Kurane and Rem watching him. Kurane narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance, 'Why did you attack him? I thought his arms being broken was enough punishment for trying to hurt you."

He frowned at her, 'He deserved it for even _thinking_ of attacking me.'

She rolled her eyes, 'Oh foolish pride, what a mark you have left on this one.'

He stood up and rubbed the side of his head, 'What does it matter anyway?'

'Don't you think you went a little overboard?'

'No, not really.'

'I'm not taking the blame for this.'

'Oh really?'

'Yes, really. You broke his leg, and six of his ribs, I'm _not_ taking the blame for this.'

He gave her an evil smirk, 'We'll see.'

Rem walked over to Steve and felt along his rib cage; six ribs were broken, just as Kurane had said. She tilted her head to the side, 'How could Kurane have known how many ribs were broken just by looking at him?'

Joey, Mary, and Rowan came running around the corner with two stretchers and carefully hoisted Steve onto one of them. They were relieved to see that Knives had regained consciousness, but still insisted that he go to the infirmary for an examination.

Vash ran into the infirmary, and looked between Knives and Steve before running over to Knives, "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

Knives gave his brother a smirk, "Of course I'm ok, you dummy."

Joey ushered them out of the infirmary so the two patients could have some peace and quiet, then he turned to Kurane, "Would you mind explaining what happened?"

She flinched at the accusation, "What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"

He frowned in impatience, "Kurane, you and Knives were the only ones in there with Steve. You have to know something."

She sighed, "I broke his arms, but that's all I did."

"Ok, so why did you break his arms?" He silenced Rem before she could say anything.

"Simple, he was going to beat Knives, so I broke his arm. Then he was going to hit me, so I broke his other arm."

"Ok, so how did he end up with six broken ribs and a broken leg?"

"I dunno. I figure Knives attacked him, broke his ribs; then Steve fought back, but Knives broke his leg, and then Steve kicked him hard enough with his other leg to knock him out."

Vash looked at Kurane wide-eyed, "But why? Why would Steve attack you or Knives? Why would Knives attack Steve? Why did you attack Steve?"

She shrugged, "Steve hates Knives and I, it was self-defense. If you want any other details, you could always ask Knives, I'm sure he could tell you."

Joey nodded, "I will. Hopefully we can get this sorted out." Everyone nodded in agreement and left, but Kurane and Vash remained behind to talk.

She gave him a hug, "Don't worry, they're both gonna be fine, and hopefully this won't happen again."

Vash nodded, "I hope this _never_ happens again." She hugged him tighter, 'I'll keep you safe Vash, don't worry'

'Kurane?'

'Yep, I'm a telepath so we can talk like this and nobody will know.'

'Really?'

'You bet.'

'I'm worried.'

'Why? They'll be fine, it's nothing to worry about, and Steve won't hurt you, I won't let him.'

'I know that, but...why does Steve hate us?'

'...Because people fear what they don't understand.'

'I suppose that makes sense, but...'

'Just don't worry about it, ok?'

'...Ok.'

----

Four and a half weeks later, Steve was back to his duties, having fully recovered. He still avoided Kurane, and Knives, but Vash became the favorite vent of his anger. It was when he was about to strike Vash that Kurane found them, and the scowl on her face promised death.

They met outside the infirmary to discuss what had happened to Steve, and as before all eyes were on Kurane. Joey gave a sigh of resignation, "Ok Kurane, what happened _this_ time?"

She gave him an exasperated look, "What? He was lucky; I only broke _one_ of his arms this time. Next time, he won't be _nearly_ as lucky." They let the matter go at that, getting tired of Steve's stupidity and the violence it caused.

Later that day, Kurane, Vash, and Knives sat down for some tea, and Knives suggested that they go check the cold sleep pods on another ship so that Rem wouldn't have to. Kurane nodded, and ran off to tell Rem. When she got back, Knives was waiting for her, and Vash was asleep. The two decided to let him sleep and ran off the transport console.

Moments later, they were on another ship, and walked into the Sleep Cylinder. As they walked further into the room, she noticed that fewer of the pods were occupied, and they soon came to an area where none of the pods were in use.

"I'm sorry Kurane, but you've become a liability to my plans." Knives turned to her.

She sighed, "I can understand that, but...sedatives in tea? Come on, I know you could have done better than _that_."

He smirked, "Yeah, but I don't have a lot of time. Anyway why don't you go to sleep now." She started to mutter something, but was soon on the floor asleep. Knives opened one of the cold sleep pods and put Kurane inside before closing the hatch and activating the cold sleep.

After he transported back to the main ship, he de-activated the transportation system and went down the hall to speed up the progress of his plan; he was running out of time.

~ A/N: I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot. I hope you liked the first chapter! I know it's a bit of a cliffhanger, but don't worry you'll find out what happened later. Anyways, please review and I will get chapter 2 up as soon as I can! ~


	2. Chapter 2

~ From backstage the sounds of cheering, corks popping, and music can be heard. Suddenly the lights flare to life as Alana storms on stage.

Alana: Ohio! I'm just here to introduce this chapter because, as you probably noticed, we're still partying from the successful launch of chapter one and Kurane is too damn lazy to introduce it herself.

She glares over her shoulder at the party, and then mutters a string of curses.

Alana: I don't know _how_ I got talked into doing this...anyways, here's chapter two. Enjoy! ~

Chapter 2 

Legato closed the door to his boss' office and muttered a silent string of curses under his breath; he was being sent alone on _another_ salvage mission. That wasn't what bothered him though, he enjoyed the solitude, what bothered him was that the wreck was ten iles away. (A/N: In case you don't know, an ile is the equivalent of a mile)

He frowned as he walked down the hall, 'Why the hell do _I_ always get the jobs in the middle of nowhere!?!'

One of his coworkers gave him a smug grin, "What's the matter Legato? Don't like going out into the desert?"

Had he been older than his current twelve years, he would have ignored the man, but he was in a bad mood, "My problems are none of your affair, and I prefer the desert to being in the same _room_ as you." The man sputtered as Legato, suddenly in a better mood, walked out of the room.

Grumbling, Legato walked down the street to the Tohmas stable and went inside to rent one of the beasts. The owner looked up from his books and smiled at him, "Ah, Legato! It's good to see you again; I take it from your scowl that you have yet another mission in the middle of nowhere."

He sighed, "Yeah, I need to rent a Tohmas...again. Yeesh, that jerk should try assigning these jobs to someone else for a change!" He gave the owner the usual sixty double dollar deposit and went to the back for the Tohmas he usually borrowed.

The owner gave him a smirk over his shoulder, "You should give that one a rest, you're renting him almost every second day. He's in very good shape because of you, so I guess I should thank you for that."

Legato smirked at the laughing owner, "Instead of thanking me, maybe you could pay me for keeping this one fit." With a laugh at the owner's reaction, he led the beast down the road to the city gate before mounting.

He took a break every two iles to give the Tohmas a bit to drink; the beast was no good to him if it dropped dead from dehydration after all. After seven iles, he could see the wreck and decided to push the Tohmas there with out any further breaks. The ship was a mess; the impact had crushed most of it and sent debris flying.

Legato grumbled in renewed anger, "I got sent all the way out here for _this_? I doubt there's anything still _useable_ on this ship!" He walked around to the side of the ship, where the number plate was normally located and found something that made him swear. The ship he was looking for was number 308164; this ship was number 308271.

With a sigh he headed towards a shaded area near the back of the ship, he might as well rest before heading back. As he neared the back of the ship, Legato noticed something lying next to the ship. He ran over to it, leading the Tohmas into the shade, and was surprised to see a functioning, let alone undamaged, cold sleep pod.

He looked at the girl through the glass of the pod, "Whoa, why hasn't anyone woken her up?" Fortunately, the pod was being sheltered from the sun's rays by part of the ship and the shade was nice and cool. Legato looked at the control panel on the side of the pod, and pressed the buttons to shut off the cold sleep. As the pod shut down, the hatch opened and Legato leaned over the edge to peer in at the girl.

He frowned; she wasn't waking up; normally, once the pod shut off the person woke up immediately. He gave a sigh and sat down against the side of the pod, having decided to wait there until she woke up. While he waited, he examined the pod, 'It shouldn't be working, this ship crashed here a hundred years ago. There must be a functional plant in there, and this must be hooked up to it.'

----

An hour later, she still hadn't woken up, and Legato was getting worried. He leaned over the side again to look at her, but she was still asleep. He gave another sigh and then remembered a story his mother had told him. He leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss. When he leaned back, she was looking up at him with a pair of rather surprised brown eyes. His eyes widened and he could feel his cheeks turning red.

She blinked a couple times, her cheeks red, and then smiled "That's the warmest welcome I've received in a _long_ time. What's your name?" Kurane watched the blue-haired, amber-eyed boy with curiosity, 'He reminds me of...waitaminute! Legato?'

He shifted uncomfortably, "Legato. What's your name?"

She stretched and climbed out of the pod, "Kurane. By the way, what's the date?

He turned to her, "It's July 13th 2217. Why?"

Kurane smiled and glomped him, "It's my birthday!!"

He hugged her back, "Really? Happy Birthday! I don't have anything to give you as a present though."

She smirked playfully, "Oh, but you gave me the best birthday present ever!" He looked confused, so she continued, with a very amused grin, "Yep, that kiss was the best present I could have asked for." She almost burst out laughing as his cheeks once again turned red.

The two were quiet for a few moments, "Hey Legato, what are you doing out here? I don't see any towns nearby."

He grumbled a few curses, "The nearest town is ten iles away. I work for a salvage company, we go out to crash sites and see what parts can be used."

She looked around, "Are you the only one they sent?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I don't really mind. I prefer to work alone."

She sighed and stretched again, "I don't think there are any useable parts in this ship; it looks like the impact pretty much totaled it. I was damn lucky to be in the very back of the Sleep Cylinder –" Her eyes suddenly widened and she ran through an opening in the ship's hull, an opening that led directly to the Sleep Cylinder.

Legato followed her, "Kurane, wait up!" She ignored him and ran to the Sleep Cylinder control room; when he caught up with her, she was tapping at the keys, checking on the Sleepers. He put a hand on her shoulder, "How are they? Are they alright?"

She stepped away from the controls, a confused look on her face, "They're gone."

He turned to her, "What do you mean?"

Kurane shrugged, "They aren't here. I guess they thawed and walked away?"

Legato shook his head, "Not likely. Usually when the people thaw, they build a city using parts of the ship. Although this ship may have been too damaged to start a city."

She sighed, "This doesn't make any sense! Why would they leave a perfectly functional plant? Whatever, we should get out of this wreck before it falls down around our heads." Legato nodded and they ran out the way they came in.

When they reached the outside, night had fully descended, and he sighed, "I guess we're stuck out here tonight. It's too dark to try getting anywhere." Kurane nodded and laid down near the side of the ship.

Legato watched her, and whispered quietly, "At least I was able to save you." With that, he laid down beside her and fell asleep.

----

He woke up when he heard a quiet muttering and felt someone snuggling up against his chest; he opened his eyes to see Kurane, her eyes closed in sleep and her face screwed up in fear. He put his arms around her and she calmed down a bit, but was still shuddering. Legato tilted her head up and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, with that she relaxed.

As soon as Legato fell back asleep, Kurane opened her eyes and smirked roguishly, "Bet you didn't think I was awake for that, did you?" Then she sighed comfortably and fell back asleep.

~ Interruption ~

Arianne: Kurane...

Kurane: Yes? (^_^)

Arianne: You're not going to put in any more sappy kissing scenes are you?

Kurane: Maybe. (^_~)

Arianne: Kurane... (-_-')

Kurane: Kissing scenes are actually kind of fun! (^_^)

Arianne: Kurane... (-_-*)

Kurane: Maybe I should write something between Vash and Meryl! (=^_^=)

Arianne: KURANE!! (-_-**)

Kurane: What!?! What!?! WHAT!?!

Arianne: Just get on with the damn story! (-_-')

~ End Interruption ~

In the morning, she opened her eyes to see Legato looking at her sleepily, "Good morning."

She smiled, "Good morning...Legato, you weren't up all night were you?"

He shook his head, "No, only for a little while once or twice. The first time was to get a drink, and the second time was when you were having a nightmare."

She ran a finger idly over her lip, and then gave him a sly grin, "While I was having a nightmare huh? And how exactly did you comfort me?" Of course she already knew, but teasing him like this was fun.

He smirked, "You don't remember? I seem to recall you saying something along the lines of 'Bet you didn't think I was awake for that, did you?' I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Kurane's eyes widened, and then she laughed, "It would seem we caught each other." After they got up and ate a small breakfast, they climbed on the Tohmas and headed back to December.

As they traveled, she couldn't help but wonder how she was going to survive with nowhere to live, and no money to buy food. At each water break, she grew more concerned until Legato grabbed her lightly by the chin and turned her to look at him, "You can live with me if you want. We'll both have to have a job, but we should be able to get by."

She pushed his hand away and smiled, "Thanks, I'd like that...won't your parents have a problem with that though?"

He looked away sadly, "My parents are dead, I live alone."

She pulled him into a hug, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know...otherwise I wouldn't have..."

He silenced her by pressing a finger to her lips, "It's alright. As you said, you didn't know." The two continued in silence, neither really wanting to ask questions that might evoke painful memories. Once they reached December, Legato turned the Tohmas towards the stable and prodded it on to greater speed.

While Legato brushed down the Tohmas, got it a pail of water and some food, Kurane watched him quietly from the doorway, 'Legato's so different...maybe it's because he hasn't met Knives yet. That would explain much, since Knives has quite a negative effect on people.'

Legato suddenly stood up and turned to her, "Who's Knives?"

Her eyes widened for a moment before she regained her composure, "He's someone I know, tends to have a negative effect on people." She tilted her head to the side in curiosity, 'Legato, can you hear me?'

He stiffened in surprise, 'Yes, what's...?'

She nodded, 'You're a telepath, just like me. I'd guess that your powers haven't developed though...not yet anyway.'

'Can you teach me?'

'Of course...'

'...But?'

'You have to promise not to use your powers to hurt people, unless in self-defense.'

'...Alright.'

She smiled, 'Then I agree to teach you, we start tommorow.' He nodded, and they walked out of the stable towards the salvage office.

~ Interruption ~

Kurane: Grrr...what is it this time!

Arianne: You're teaching him how to use his powers? Are you insane!?!

Kurane: I put up with you muses don't I?

Alana: I'd like to point out the fact that you put up with us by choice.

Kurane: ...Damn loopholes.

~ End Interruption ~

As the two walked down the alley leading to the office, Legato stopped before they turned the corner and motioned for Kurane to keep silent. They could hear voices, and he recognized one of them as the coworker he had told off, "He should be coming this way any moment now, and when he does, we're gonna teach him a lesson aren't we boys?"

There were a few grunts of agreement, and she could see Legato wasn't eager to have to deal with the idiots. He turned to look at her and she gave him a reassuring smirk before he walked around the corner to face the thugs.

He looked at his coworker in annoyance, "Steve, I really don't have time for this."

Steve scowled at him, "I think you do. I think you have plenty of time for a lesson in manners you little punk!"

Kurane came around the corner, cowered behind Legato wide-eyed, and used her most 'innocent little girl' voice, "Legato-san, what's going on? Who are these men?"

Legato almost put a hand on her forehead to make sure she was all right, but a slight wink told him she was just fine. He shrugged, "Just some thugs who think I have the patience to deal with them."

She quivered as they advanced a few steps, "Stay away! Leave us alone!" Legato seemed to be having a hard time with the "innocent little girl" act, so she decided it might be a good time to end the charade. She pushed Legato into the dumpster and jammed the lid so he couldn't get out.

Steve burst out laughing, "Ha! Even the girl's showing you where you belong!"

Kurane turned to Steve, an evil look on her face, "Your name is Steve, right?"

He backed off a couple steps, "Yeah, what's it to ya?"

She scowled and a sudden gust of wind came up, when they looked over to her again, she was in her demon form, "I _hate_ Steve." Naturally, what followed were several broken bones, screams of agony, and concussions. When she was finished, she changed back into her human form and let Legato out of the dumpster (Fortunately, the dumpster was empty of garbage at the time.).

He looked around, "What the...hell did you...do to them?"

Kurane shrugged, "I dealt with them, obviously."

Legato sweatdropped, "Are you sure you didn't kill any of them?"

She thought for a moment, "I'm pretty sure they're all alive, but it's possible that one or two of them might not be."

His sweatdrop grew, "And how did you beat them?"

She chuckled quietly, "Playing the innocent little victim; it works every time."

Legato shuddered, "Right...well that's the most disturbing thing I've ever seen. Remind me never to piss you off." She smiled and looped her arm through his, he looked down at her, "Well, I guess we should get going huh?"

----

A short time later, the two were standing in the office of Legato's boss. The man turned to Kurane, "So, you are the sole survivor from ship number 308164?"

Legato cleared his throat, "Actually, the wreck you sent me to was ship number 308271. Kurane may not be the sole survivor of that wreck, but she was the only one I found at the crash site. We checked the Sleep Cylinder, but it was completely empty of Sleepers."

His boss nodded, "I see. Then where is 308164? My informant told me that the coordinates led to that ship."

Kurane thought for a moment, "Who is your informant?" She could think of two people who would want her thawed, but only _one_ of them knew she had been transferred to a different ship and put into cold sleep.

The boss shrugged, "I don't know his name, but he's tall and has wheat colored spiky hair. Kind of a mean guy too, smooth talker, but with a serious mean streak."

She frowned, "Knives. I thought it might be him; he's a very dangerous man if you get on his bad side. I suggest you _never_ do that, as running won't save you from him."

Legato watched her curiously, 'So that guy the boss is always yapping with is Knives? He didn't seem that bad a guy...I wonder what Kurane has against him.'

'Legato, don't think I can't hear your thoughts. If you want to know what I have against him, ask me later and I might consider telling you.'

'Kurane, I want to know now.'

'I _don't_ have the patience for this right now. I'll tell you later.'

'I wonder what he did to piss you off...can't have been too serious, since he's still alive.'

'I don't always kill people who piss me off; I suggest you keep that in mind before you try pushing your luck too far.'

'...You scare me sometimes, you know that?'

She gave him a smirk, 'Naturally.'

Legato's boss cleared his throat, "A-hem! Anyways, thank you both for coming to report. Kurane, do you have anywhere to stay?"

She nodded, "I'm staying with Legato."

He nodded, "That's all." The two left the building and headed toward Legato's house. Neither of them said anything, still mulling over previous events.

Kurane jumped when the sound of gunshots came to their ears, "Legato, we have to go check it out."

He followed her as she ran down a side street, "Wait up! You don't know your way around this city! Kurane!" She kept running and they soon came to dead end where they found four men standing near the bodies of a man and woman. The men were cornering a young black-haired boy when Kurane came pelting around the corner.

The men whirled to face her, "What the...oh it's only a kid." Then they made their biggest mistake, they turned their backs to her. A sudden gust of wind and the sound of wings was the only warning they got before a set of sharp claws tore through them.

Legato came running around the corner, and cried out in shock; Kurane was standing there in her demon form with blood dripping from her claws. He approached her slowly, "Kurane?"

She knelt down and wiped her claws on one man's cloak, "...I'm sorry."

He put a hand on her shoulder, "Sorry? For protecting yourself and saving this kid? There might have been a better way to deal with this situation, but you didn't have time to find one."

She pushed his hand away and walked over to the kid, "What's your name?"

He looked up at her, "Wolfwood, Nicholas D. Wolfwood."

She changed back into her human form, "I'm sorry you had to see me deal with them."

He looked down at his parents, "I doesn't matter, I'm...kind of used to seeing death." Kurane put a hand on his shoulder and led him away from the carnage, hoping he hadn't really meant those words. Legato led the two to his house silently, confusion ruling his thoughts.

----

Wolfwood stayed at Legato's house that night, and once he fell asleep on the couch Kurane grabbed Legato by the wrist and pulled him into a different room. He gave her a puzzled look, "What happened earlier?"

She turned to him, "I knew you were going to ask about that eventually, I'm surprised the kid didn't. I'm not human; what you saw earlier was my demon form."

He nodded after a couple moments, "Okay. What about earlier? While I was in the dumpster I heard you say that you hate Steve, but you had only just met him.

She shrugged, "I was referring to a different Steve, but the name angers me."

He nodded, "I guess that makes sense."

She cursed, "I was clumsy."

He raised his eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

She frowned, "Those bastards were slavers, but I shouldn't have killed them in front of Nicholas."

He shrugged, "I don't know how you knew they were slavers, but if that's the case, then they deserved what they got. As for the kid, there was no way you could have avoided him seeing that." She gave a sigh, and nodded after a couple moments. The two were silent for a while, and eventually went to their rooms to sleep.

Kurane laid in her bed, restless, 'Knives must have set the ships to crash on this planet after killing almost the entire crew. Judging by the fact that there are humans, I'd guess Rem changed the commands.' After tossing and turning a few times, she finally fell asleep. Wolfwood watched Kurane from the doorway for a few moments, silently said his thanks and left.

When she woke the next morning, Kurane could sense that something or more precisely, _someone_ was missing. She ran to the room where Wolfwood had been sleeping, and noticed immediately the empty couch. She ran into Legato's room, a string of curses on her lips, "Legato! Wake up! Wolfwood's gone!"

His eyes opened and he shot her a look of irritation, "What are you barging into my room and yelling about this early in the morning?"

She winced, "Sorry, it's just Wolfwood is missing and I'm worried about him."

Legato climbed out of his bed, "Kurane, he's the same age as you or me; I'm sure he's fine. He probably went for a walk or to get his stuff. Don't worry about it."

She frowned, "I. Don't. Care. We're going to look for him."

He raised an eyebrow, "We?"

She scowled at him, "Yes, _we_. Meaning you and me. Right. Now."

He sighed, "All right. All right. All right. We'll go look for him." The two left Legato's house short minutes later and searched for Wolfwood, but didn't find him.

Kurane bit her lip anxiously, "I hope he's ok."

Legato gave her a hug, "Kurane, you act too much like a mother."

She gave him an irritated glare, "He almost got _killed_ yesterday, I think I have good reason to be worried about him!"

Wolfwood walked out of a shadow, "Don't tell me you two have been hunting me all morning!"

Kurane smiled in relief, "Wolfwood! I was worried when I woke up and you were gone. You should tell someone before you leave, instead of just taking off like that!"

He chuckled, "You really do act too much like a mother! You don't have to worry about me, Kurane."

Scowling, she grabbed him by the ear, "Nicholas D. Wolfwood! If you _ever_ pull something like that again!"

Both of the guys sweatdropped, "Uh...Kurane?"

She burst out laughing, "_That_ is acting too much like a mother. Anyways, if you're gonna leave, could you at least leave a note next time?" He nodded and left after saying a quick goodbye. After Wolfwood left, Legato and Kurane went over to the salvage office to see if there were any jobs they could take.

As they walked, Legato turned to Kurane, "Hey, you never told me why you hate Knives so much."

She frowned, "The crew of the main ship...he killed nearly all of them. He only spared three people, myself being one of them and a woman named Rem being another."

He tilted his head to the side, "Who was the third?"

She lips curved slightly into a smirk, "Vash."

He raised his eyebrow, "Who?"

Her frown returned a bit, "His brother."

He stopped in his tracks, "You were in cold sleep, and Knives is still alive, so assuming Vash is as well...waitaminute! That's impossible! They would be dead from old age by now, and what about Rem?"

She turned to him, "Rem died saving all the Sleepers on the other ships."

He grabbed her shoulder, "What about Knives and Vash? How are they still alive?"

She pushed his hand away, "You'll find out one day."

(A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! As always, I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot and the annoying OC muses that showed up during the interruptions.

Arianne and Alana: Such as...?

Kurane: Do I really need to answer that? Now get out of my author's note or there will be two very fried avatars.)


	3. Chapter 3

~ Vash and Wolfwood walk on stage behind your authoress as the lights center on the trio.

Vash: Hey, there's a stage here! Did you know about this?

Wolfwood: No, now be quiet needle noggin!

Kurane: Before I introduce the chapter, I want to thank the loveable people who reviewed! Arigato!! Now without further delay, here's chapter three! ~

Chapter 3

Three years later –

Kurane and Legato sat on a cliff overlooking December and ate the lunch they had packed. He looked over at her, "Hey Kurane, do you remember your first fight in this city?"

Flashback –

Kurane came around the corner, cowered behind Legato wide-eyed, and used her most 'innocent little girl' voice, "Legato-san, what's going on? Who are these men?"

Legato almost put a hand on her forehead to make sure she was all right, but a slight wink told him she was just fine. He shrugged, "Just some thugs who think I have the patience to deal with them."

She quivered as they advanced a few steps, "Stay away! Leave us alone!" Legato seemed to be having a hard time with the "innocent little girl" act, so she decided it might be a good time to end the charade. She pushed Legato into the dumpster and jammed the lid so he couldn't get out.

End Flashback –

She sweatdropped, "You're not bringing _that_ up again are you?"

He threw her an angry scowl, "You pushed me into a _dumpster_!"

She smirked, "I could have just left you there, you know."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah...right."

Almost immediately after speaking these words, he regretted it, as she gave him an evil grin, "Is that challenge, Legato?"

Legato shook his head in disbelief, "You're really something, you know that?"

Kurane stuck her tongue out at him with a smirk, "Yep, and that's why you love me!"

He grinned sarcastically, "Yeah, that must be it."

Immediately, he regretted saying those words as she grabbed him by the ear with a scowl, "What was that, Legato?"

Legato winced, "Ok! Ok! OK!! Yes, that's why I love you!"

Kurane kissed him on the cheek, and whispered in his ear, "I win, Lage-chan."

He grabbed her arms and pinned her to the ground underneath him, "Actually, _I_ win."

She leaned towards him and whispered, "Only 'cuz I let you."

He frowned, "It's no fun if you _let_ me win."

She smirked, "Have it your way then." His eyes widened in surprise as she quickly freed her arms and pushed him off her, and with a shared smile, the two ended the game. She looked up at the sky, "Hey Lage-chan, wanna fly with me?"

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "You haven't flown with a passenger before, have you?"

Kurane shook her head, "Nope, but I'm sure it'll be fine."

Legato sweatdropped, "You're asking me to be the guinea pig?"

She clenched the Bloodstone, and went into demon mode, "Yep, all you have to do is hold on, shut up and hold still." She turned to face him, and held him to her, before spreading her wings and leaping off the cliff.

Legato's eyes widened, "Kurane...I forgot to mention that I'm scared of heights!"

She smirked, "Join the club. Now be quiet and stop squirming or this ride will get _very_ bumpy." As the two soared over December, they were amazed by the view; they could see everything for three iles in every direction. Kurane smiled, flying with Legato was a wonderful way to celebrate their first anniversary as a couple.

After a few minutes of flying, they set down near an outcropping of rock two iles from town. The two sat down on the sand to watch the sun set, and she curled up closer to him and closed her eyes, smiling faintly. He looked out over the horizon and started cursing, "Kurane, get up. We have to find shelter...now."

She got to her feet and looked around; it didn't take long to notice the problem, "Shit! I thought that storm wasn't supposed to hit for another three days!" The two ran for the outcropping of rock and ducked into a cave. Kurane sat down near the back of the cave, "Damn unpredictable sand storms! I hope we'll be safe in here, because we don't have a chance to get back to December before this hits."

He sighed as he sat next to her, "I'd imagine this is safe enough, not like it matters. As you said we don't have enough time to get back to December, so this will have to do." They laid down against the wall of the cave and were soon asleep in the cave's protection.

----

Legato woke when he felt wings poking into his chest, and he poked Kurane's shoulder a few times until she woke up and looked at him, "Kurane, you realize you're in demon mode, right?"

She yawned, "I guess someone made me angry in my dream...probably Knives."

He sighed, "You really hate that guy, don't you?" She nodded, and grabbed the Bloodstone to change back to her human form.

Flashback –

She let go of the stone and sat there for a moment, 'A Bloodstone? Sounds useful, but there has to be a catch, some sort of side effect or something. Maybe if I just give it a try...it can't hurt to experiment.'

End Flashback –

There was a flash of light, but...it was amber in color, and when it faded...Kurane wasn't in the form she had expected to be. The stone had transformed her into a small fox. She cursed, "What the hell!?!" She tried to change back into a human, but the stone wouldn't change her form. A growl escaped her lips, "This sucks."

Legato smirked, "I dunno, you're kinda cute as a fox." She growled at him in annoyance, but curled up in his arms and fell asleep anyway. Neither of them noticed that a third person had just slipped into the cave.

Vash had slipped into the cave to escape the storm, and hadn't expected to find a blue-haired boy curled up with a peculiar white fox. He smiled, 'I hope he doesn't mind me sharing the cave with him. That fox is so cute!' As he watched, the fox started purring in the boy's arms.

----

Legato was woken by a quiet purring sound, and looked down at Kurane; she was still curled up in his arms asleep. He listened closer, was Kurane...purring? He got the chance to ask to her when she rolled over and opened her eyes to look at him. He raised his eyebrow, "Kurane, were you purring?"

She shrugged, "Maybe –" The hair at the back of her neck rose when a cry of shock came from somewhere near in the cave.

Vash came into view, "Ummm...hi! I hope you don't mind me sharing the cave, it's really not very nice out there."

Kurane's eyes widened, "Vash!?! What are you doing near December!?!"

He came closer to them, eyeing Kurane incredulously, "Kurane? Is that really you?" The answer to his question was quickly revealed when a bright amber light surrounded her. When the light faded and their eyes readjusted to the gloom, they saw her in her human form.

She brushed the hair out of her face with a sigh, "Yes Vash, as you can see, it's me. Now, what _are_ you doing in this area?"

He shrugged, "Do I need a reason to travel? I just decided to head down this way, see what I could find."

A vein twitched in Kurane's temple, "Escape the bounty hunters. I think you forgot to mention that."

He sweatdropped, "Eheheh...yeah, I guess I did forget that."

She sighed, and then hugged him with a laugh, "My Nii-san, the outlaw!"

Legato's eyes widened, "Eh!?! He's your...no way! You two don't look like brother and sister!"

Kurane smiled at Legato, "Not biological, it's just a term of endearment. Just like me calling you Lage-chan, it might irritate you, but it's meant as a term of affection."

He twitched, "Yes, about that...I don't care if it's a term of endearment...it's annoying as hell."

She laughed, 'Yep that was kind of the idea."

Vash smiled, "So Kurane, who's your boyfriend?"

She turned to him with a look of irritation, which was tempered by the blush of her cheeks, "You just had to say it like that, didn't you?"

Legato sweatdropped, 'The girl who can kill without flinching...can't talk about us with blushing like -'

Kurane's eyes flicked over to Legato, 'I'm warning you now, don't finish that thought.'

He grinned as he finished the thought, '- a schoolgirl with a crush.'

Twitching, she turned her gaze back to Vash, "His name's Legato, and he's a pain in the ass."

He put on a wounded look, "Kurane, you don't mean that, do you?"

She smirked, "Of course I do." (A/N: Those three lines were taken from the Slayers movie.) After talking for a while, the trio fell asleep and the rest of the night in the cave was peaceful. When Kurane and Legato woke up the next morning, Vash was already gone.

Legato turned to Kurane, "So that was your brother huh? Waitaminute! Is _he_ the Vash you were telling me about when you talked about Knives?"

She rolled her eyes, "I wondered when you'd put two and two together."

He decided to ignore her comment, "Damn! I could have found out how they're still alive!"

Kurane pulled out a paper fan and hit him over the head with it, "Yeah, _that_ would have been a cheery conversation. 'Hey Vash, how is it that you and Knives are still alive? What are your secrets?' Get a grip Legato."

He frowned, "You'd said I'd find out one day."

She tilted her head to side, "I'll give you a hint. I'm not human, and neither are they."

He frowned, "So they're demons?" She shook her head, and his frown deepened, "So, what are they?"

She sighed, "I should probably tell you to avoid having you chase after one of them, God forbid it be Knives, and try to force out the answer." She shook her head, "You're not stupid enough to seek out Knives...at least for your sake I hope you're not. As for Vash...he doesn't like to talk about it, so for your sake I hope you're smart enough to leave him alone."

He raised his eyebrow, "So basically, you hope I'm smart enough to just drop the subject."

She nodded, "Yeah, pretty much." The two left the cave after they were done talking and were startled to see someone heading towards them on a Tohmas. The rider stopped the beast in front of them and jumped off, Kurane smirked, "Hey Chase."

He smiled, "You're beautiful as always Kurane."

Legato cleared his throat, "So, what brings you out here Chase?"

Chase looked over at him, "Hmmm? Oh, I heard that the lovely Kurane got caught in that storm and I came to see if she was alright."

A vein pulsed in his temple as he grabbed Chase by the ear and dragged him off a couple of feet. "You _know_ Kurane and I are a couple, so stop trying to steal her!"

Kurane walked up behind Legato with a double-edged smile, "You're not making the mistake of speaking about me as a possession, are you Legato?"

He turned a smile to her, "Of course not, I would never do that! I was just advising Chase to -"

She finished the sentence for him, "- Stop trying to steal me. I know, and I do appreciate. You should have more faith in me; I wouldn't leave the one who freed me from cold sleep...the one I love." He let go of Chase's ear as Kurane pulled him into a kiss. The trip back to December was quiet and the trio covered the two iles quickly.

When they got back to the house, she turned to Legato, "Do we have any confetti guns?"

Smirking, he pulled out a bag of two dozen, "Yep, we have plenty for the party." Grinning mischievously, she pulled one out and fired at Legato. Chase walked in the door and got confetti in the face, so he joined in the confetti war. Kurane and Legato teamed up against Chase and soon all three were covered in confetti and laughing helplessly.

Kurane sighed, "I haven't had this much fun in far too long. I can't wait until we do this again next year for our anniversary...even though it's a day late this year."

Legato smiled, "That doesn't matter, and it wasn't our fault anyway."

She yawned, "Damn...unpredictable...sand storms." She fell asleep on the couch as the last words left her mouth. The two guys quietly cleaned up the confetti, and with a promise to come to the next anniversary party, Chase left. Smiling, Legato pulled the covers over Kurane and went to bed.

- Two years later -

Kurane and Legato looked at the wreck of ship 308271 and sighed, neither of them knew why the boss had sent them there. She stretched, "Ok, so why are we here again?"

He shrugged, "Because the boss sent us here?"

She frowned, "Ok, but why did he send us to a crash we've already been to?"

Legato smirked, "It got us away from Chase, and out of town, so who cares?"

Kurane curled up closer to him, "Good point." The two fell asleep near the ship for the second time in five years.

Knives watched the two from the top of a nearby cliff, 'So, the demon has fallen for the telepath...interesting. Now I know how to get Legato under my control and Kurane is definitely an added bonus.' With an evil smirk, he disappeared into the night.

She bolted upright and looked around, Knives' thoughts still echoed in her mind. Legato sat up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, "What's the matter? I've never seen you look so freaked out."

Kurane looked around, trying to tell herself she was just imagining things, "It's Knives, I heard his thoughts. I know he's around here somewhere"

He raised his eyebrow, "I didn't hear anything."

She frowned, "Of course not, he didn't want you to hear him. He's trying to get to me, playing his mind games again." Legato fell back asleep, and Kurane watched him quietly, Knives' thoughts still repeating in her mind. It was almost dawn by the time she fell back asleep.

----

As they rode back to December, Kurane found that all she could think about was what Knives was planning. Even the thought of tomorrow's anniversary party did little to cheer her up. Legato sighed, "Kurane, have you been listening to anything I've been saying?"

She jumped, "Yeah, tomorrow's the anniversary party."

He sweatdropped, "Hey, at least _try_ to sound enthusiastic." In truth, he was worried; her thoughts had been too chaotic for him to tell what was bothering her. All he knew was that it had something to do with Knives, and that worried him.

Chase and Wolfwood came over later that day, and stayed for supper, both of them noticing the unusual somber look in Kurane's eyes. After talking with them for a while, she fell asleep on the couch and Legato pulled the cover up over her shoulders.

He pulled Wolfwood and Chase into a different room and closed the door, "Next year is our fourth year anniversary, and I've decided that I'm going to ask her."

Chase blinked in confusion, "Ask her? Ask her what?"

Wolfwood smacked him upside the head, "He's going to propose to her, dumbass."

He stared in amazed silenced for a moment, and then had to ask, "You sure Legato?"

He smiled, "We'll both be eighteen, we'll be of legal marrying age. I know she'll say yes!"

Wolfwood smirked, "Why not ask her tommorow? You guys are seventeen right now, but who says you can't be engaged for a year before getting hitched?" Legato nodded, excitement sparkling in his eyes. Wolfwood and Chase wished him good luck and good night before leaving.

----

Kurane woke early the next morning and looked into Legato's room; he was sound asleep. She smiled, until the memory of her plan returned to her, and she walked into the living room for a pad of paper. After writing a note and cooking a hasty breakfast, she ran out the door and headed for the bus stop.

Legato woke a few minutes after Kurane left and walked over to her room, it was empty. Unconcerned, he walked over to the living room; it was also empty. Worry tugging at his heart, he ran into the kitchen; there was a fresh pot of soup and a note. He grabbed the note and opened it hastily.

_Legato,_

_I'm so sorry to have to do this to you, but I have to leave in order to protect you. Knives knows about us, and he plans to use me as blackmail to control you; I won't let that happen. I'm leaving for July to see a couple friends, and I'm hoping that Knives will think we've broken up and leave you alone. No matter what happens, I love you always. Please don't follow me; I don't want you to get hurt._

_Much love,_

_Kurane_

_P.S. In case you didn't notice, there's a pot of soup on the stove; it's the least I can do for you._

He had already run out the door by the time the note hit the ground; he had to stop her, to tell her he wanted to face the danger with her. He wasn't surprised to find her standing at the bus stop, and she didn't seem surprised to see him either. Legato ran and pulled her into a hug, "Kurane, don't go! If you're going to face Knives, I want to go with you! I don't want you to leave..." he trailed off, unable to continue.

She held him, a tear tracing its way down her cheek, "Legato, I don't want to go, but it's the only way to protect you."

He couldn't trust his voice anymore, 'Kurane, I had a question I wanted to ask you today...'

She stiffened slightly, 'Don't ask it! It'll only make it harder for both of us.'

Legato calmed a bit, 'I thought it might give you a reason to come back.'

Kurane smiled shakily, 'You think I need a better reason than you to come back?'

He smiled slightly, 'No, but I thought I might try to convince you to stay. It seems to be working.'

She nodded, 'It is, and I want to stay here with you, but I have to go.' She pulled away from him and climbed on the bus.

Legato put his hand on her window, 'Kurane, what if Knives comes for me while you're gone?'

Kurane put her hand against the window, 'He won't.' The bus pulled away and she was soon out of December, heading for July.

(A/N: I had to edit this chapter a bit. The original sappiness was driving me up the wall.)


	4. Chapter 4

~ The sound of someone walking onto the stage can be heard...and moments later, the sound of said person stumbling and cursing can be heard.

Kurane: Could someone turn on the bloody lights!?!

The lights flare to life to reveal a rather irritated looking authoress, and after brushing herself off, she continues.

Kurane: Ohio! It's that time again! No, not time to clean out the closet...or the cellar...it's time for chapter four! ~

Chapter 4

"...Miss...Miss...Miss?" Kurane's eyes opened slowly to see people crowded around her, with concern on their faces. One of them, a middle-aged woman, spoke, "Miss, are you ok?"

She blinked a couple times, "Yeah, I'm fine...just getting a little claustrophobic is all."

The woman sighed in relief, then ushered the other members of the crowd away, before turning back to her, "I'm glad you're ok, we were worried about you."

Kurane raised her eyebrow, "Worried about me? Why?"

She seemed slightly surprised, as if the answer should have been obvious, "Well...you were crying...and muttering something...or someone's name."

She reached a hand to her face and wiped away the tears, "I must have been crying in my sleep...weird."

The woman shrugged, "It's not strange at all, you broke up with that young man...that must have been hard on you."

Kurane winced, "...Yeah, you could say that...but it would be an understatement." Wolfwood walked up towards them and told the woman Kurane was his little sister...of course she then felt the need to tell Wolfwood that he should have been sitting with Kurane from the beginning, but she left and he sat down.

He looked over at her, "Kurane, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, "No, but I can't tell you right now." With a sigh of exasperation, Wolfwood pulled her into a hug and the two soon fell asleep. Three iles from July, the driver decided to stop for a rest. Kurane sat on a dune not far from the bus, but far enough to make it obvious that she wanted to be left alone.

Wolfwood sat down next to her, "So, what's this all about? Why are you leaving Legato to go to July?"

She looked over at him, "I'm trying to protect him from someone who wants to use me as blackmail."

He raised his eyebrow, "...You're trying to protect him from someone who wants to use you...by going to this person?"

Kurane's eyes hardened, "I'll kill the bastard, and then Legato and I won't have to worry."

Wolfwood put his arm around her shoulder, "Ok, I guess when you put it that way...it still sounds crazy."

She frowned, "Stop being such an overprotective pain in the ass!"

He smirked, "Then stop being such a stubborn wench."

"Stupid, overprotective, jerk!"

"Stubborn, short-tempered wench!"

"Damn overprotective, hypocritical, pain in the ass!"

He grinned at her, "Ok, now that we've made asses of ourselves...feel better?"

She laid her head on his shoulder, "Yep, thanks Nico-nii."

He tilted his head to the side, "So, who's this guy you want to kill?"

Kurane sighed and closed her eyes, "I don't want to get you involved."

He sweatdropped, "You really _are_ a stubborn, short-tempered little wench." Giving him a smack upside the head, and muttering something about finding a certain brother, she went into demon mode and flew off.

The bus driver came up to Wolfwood, "Did she just...?"

He shook his head, "Nope, the heat is just making you see things." Wolfwood watched the sky for a few minutes, 'Be careful out there kiddo.'

After an hour flight, and another two of searching, Kurane finally found him. She landed near Vash and smiled, "Hey Vash!"

He smiled as he turned to her, "Hey Kurane! What brings you to this area?"

Her smile faded, "I think you know the answer to that already."

Vash blinked a couple times, "Travel?"

Kurane twitched, "No, I came here to make sure that your...brother dies."

He recoiled, "Kurane, you've really grown serious...I miss the smiles and laughter."

"I know, you're not the only who misses that. I miss the time when all I had to worry about was Steve." She smirked, "Vash, do you remember Halloween?"

Flashback –

Kurane came running into the rec. room with a huge grin, "Hey Rem, guess what day it is!"

Rem blinked in confusion at her unusual cheer, "The thirty-first of October, why?"

She got a mischievous glint in her eye, "It's Halloween! We have to honor the tradition! That means of course we have to dress up!!" Vash then joined in, and Rem was faced with two hyper youngsters giving her puppy eyes, "Can we? Can we? Can we? Can we?" She smiled and told them to go ahead and get into costume. Kurane ran out the door with a shout over her shoulder, "Be back in a minute or two!!" Vash followed suite but, of course, Knives thought they were both idiots.

Vash came pelting back into the room moments later, wearing a pair of strap-on angel wings. Kurane came rushing in with a bag shortly after, dressed as a cat. Smirking, she walked over to Knives and pulled out a pair of black strap-on angel wings. After she forced him to put them on, he looked between Vash and Kurane and raised his eyebrow, "Are you saying something by making me wear dark wings as opposed to light ones?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and smirked, "Maybe."

Vash ran over and glomped Kurane, "Neko Imouto-san!"

She smiled at him, "Nyao."

End Flashback –

He smirked, "Ah yes, good times." Kurane burst out laughing; Halloween with Vash had been awesome. Of course, Knives had to ruin it by trying to kill Steve...ah yes, good times. He grinned in relief, "It's been a long time since I heard you laugh, I was beginning to worry you had forgotten how."

She feigned a look of shock, "Me? Forget how to laugh?" Her expression grew serious, "I don't worry about myself; it's you and Legato I worry about. Whenever you were alone with Knives, I was worried about you."

Vash winked at her, "Don't worry about me Imouto-san! I can take care of myself!"

Kurane rolled her eyes, 'Of course he can, he's the outlaw who can escape the most impossible situations.' She sighed, "If you insist, I won't worry about you as much." Smirking, he pulled her into a hug and the two remained like that for while.

Interruption –

Wolfwood: Hey Kurane?

Kurane: Yes Wolfwood?

Wolfwood: Could you do me a favor?

Kurane: That depends; what do you want?

Wolfwood: Could you give Kat a message for me?

Kurane: I've already told you this a million times Romeo; do it yourself.

Wolfwood: But...

Kurane: Get going lover-boy, I have to finish this chapter!

End Interruption –

Vash smiled apologetically at Kurane, "I have to get going, I have to meet this guy who knew Rem."

She stiffened, "Ummm...Vash I don't think you should go..."

He arched an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"...I mean...I don't think you should go alone. Let me come with you." She smiled through gritted teeth, 'As if I'm going to let you go alone anyway. Sheesh, he couldn't stop me if he wanted to.'

He beamed, "That's a great idea!!" Kurane sighed, 'I should probably warn him about Knives...not like it would help.' As the two were walking to the city, she realized something; she hadn't eaten in a couple days. Vash looked at her, "You look hungry, let's get some food!"

She looked up at him, "Yes, that's a great idea! I haven't eaten since I left...December...and..." Vash paused as Kurane trailed off, and pulled her into another hug.

She sighed, 'I hope Legato's ok.'

'Kurane? We haven't talked like this in ages.'

'That's true, it's been a long time.'

'Why wouldn't Legato be ok? What's going on? Did you two break up?'

'Why do you always flood me with questions?' Fortunately, Vash decided to drop the subject for the time being when their lunch arrived. Without hesitation, the duo dug into the spaghetti and it wasn't long before they had finished.

Knives looked out the window at the city of July, and frowned impatiently, "Where the hell is Vash? I didn't plan to spend all day with a corpse!" He looked distastefully at the body, "Stupid humans. I don't know why Vash bothers protecting them." With a sigh, he returned his attention to the city.

Kurane led Vash to the hotel, "Oh come on! You don't plan to spend just one day here do you? You're going to want to spend a few days talking to this guy; so you need a place to sleep!"

"But...Kurane! You don't have enough money do you?" He protested.

She stopped in her tracks and gave him a withering glance, "Vash-nii, if you don't cooperate, I will be forced to smack you."

He tilted his head to the side, "Why?"

She clenched her teeth, "Because we haven't seen each other in a long time, and I want to spend time with you. Now stop being difficult!"

Vash arched an eyebrow, "Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to postpone something?" Without responding, she pushed him over to a bar stool and walked off, muttering curses under her breath. He watched her as she went, 'Did I say something wrong?'

Chase sighed; spending hours on a bus headed for a doomed city was not his idea of fun. He looked over; sitting next to him was Legato...looking the way he had for the past 56 hours...in short he looked miserable. He put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, I know you're miserable, and I understand completely, but could you at least _try_ to cheer up?"

Legato scowled at him, "Cheer up? How the hell am I supposed to cheer up when Kurane left on what is no doubt a suicidal mission? Why the hell am I following her anyway?"

He gave him an annoyed look, "You're going after her because you love her, she left to protect you, and you're worried sick about her. Any more stupid questions?" Chase looked out the window, 'I hope Kurane isn't getting in over her head.'

Kurane downed a shot of whiskey, and with a sigh supported Vash as she led him to his room. Once he was under the covers, she left his room and padded silently down the hall. She headed for the door and was shocked to see a figure standing there...a rather familiar figure.

Wolfwood stepped out of the shadows, "Lemme guess, you got him so drunk he passed out and now you plan to go take care of your target. Am I right?"

She frowned, "Get out of the way Wolfwood."

His eyes locked with hers, "So, are you really planning to kill him in the night?" She pushed past him into the cool night. He followed and grabbed her by the shoulder, "Kurane, stop this! You may be a demon, but I can't believe you would kill a man in his sleep."

She closed her eyes with a slight smirk, "He isn't asleep. The one I'm after hardly sleeps; he's too busy plotting and scheming. And anyways, I'm only going to scout the area, the real battle will be tommorow morning." She walked off a few steps before turning back to him, "You should get out of here Nii-san. Things are going to get rough tommorow, and I advise you to be as far from here as possible by the morning."

"What's going on Imouto-san? I want the truth...not part of the truth; the whole thing." He frowned.

She leaned against a wall, "Fine. The one I'm after is named Knives; he killed most of the crew of a colony ship. He's cold-hearted and I'm going to kill him."

He sighed, "You know, you have a real dark side...and it doesn't suit you."

She walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "It may not suit me, but that doesn't matter. Anyways, get as far from here as you can by morning. I don't want you to get hurt, so get out of here."

"What about everyone else? They haven't been warned, have they?"

"There's not enough time, or I would have warned them already. I wish there was another way, but there isn't, so this city is a very dangerous place to be." She turned and left, disappearing down the dark street.

Wolfwood sighed, "What a stubborn girl." He frowned, 'If she says something bad is going to happen in the morning, I'd better get out of here.' He was fortunate that she was the only one who saw him break into the Tohmas stable and leave on the borrowed animal.

She sighed, "Well, at least he took my advice." With that, she ran off to the building where Knives was not so patiently waiting for Vash. She wasn't surprised to hear his voice in her mind, 'Well well, if it isn't the little demon. Why don't you come up and see me? I'm sure we have much to discuss...namely Legato.'

She smirked, 'Now now Knives, have patience. We'll get to all that in the morning; right now I'm only scouting the area.'

'I had expected Vash to come by today, but now I can see you had something to do with that.'

'Naturally. I enjoy annoying you, and delaying your little visit with Vash seemed like a good idea anyway.'

'Then I will have wait until the morning. Watch your back Kurane; it would be a shame if you were unable to attend tommorow.'

'What a coincidence, I was about to give the same advice.' With a sigh of boredom, she walked back to the hotel and went to her room. She climbed into bed and was soon asleep. Vash looked into Kurane's room and a look of concern crossed over his features, 'Where has she been for the last couple hours? Why do I feel this has something to do with Knives?'

The next morning dawned, and promised to be a beautiful day. Kurane cursed as she looked out the window, "I _hate_ mornings...especially _beautiful_ mornings." With a sigh, she got dressed and went over to Vash's room to see if he was awake. She opened the door, and cursed again, "Damn it! That idiot's gone already!?! Why can't he be a good brother and wait for me!?!"

Vash walked over to the building where he had been supposed to meet the man yesterday. With a smile he went through the door and walked up the stairs to the top floor. He opened the door to the office with an eager grin...one that quickly faded.

Knives waved at Vash with a smirk, "Hey Vash! About time you showed up! Do you realize you're a day late?"

Vash stood in the doorway, too shocked to move; Knives was sitting on the edge of the desk, and the man he had come to talk to was dead. He paled, "...What have you...done?'

He shrugged, "I've cut off any link you had to that annoying woman Rem." Seeing that his younger brother was too shocked to react, he smirked, "It's better this way, don't you think? Once I get Kurane out of the way, I can take Legato as my student. It'll be very easy too, seeing as she has such a short temper."

Vash scowled at him, "Leave them out of this!!"

Knives smirked as he pulled out his gun and aimed at Vash, "Obviously I have to teach you a lesson first; since you still haven't learned that you can't save the spiders _and_ the butterflies."

Flashback –

Vash, Knives, Kurane and Rem where in the Rec. Room eating lunch as usual when they saw a butterfly trapped in a spider's web. Kurane stiffened, "There are...spiders on this...ship!?!"

Rem smiled, "Only in this room, since it recreates the nature on Earth."

Vash and Knives hovered over the web, both wanting to save the butterfly from the approaching spider. Everyone's eyes widened when Knives' hand shot out and crushed the spider. He turned to Vash, "You can't save them both. If you always save the butterflies, the spiders will starve."

End Flashback -

Vash pulled out his gun...too late, the bullet hit his left arm and he went flying across the room. He looked over to the side...to where his arm was laying, completely disconnected from his body. Pain shot through him and he glared at Knives, but couldn't say anything.

Kurane hovered over the building, "Hmmm, I could go through the front door and up all those levels to the top...or...I could take the short cut and go through the roof." An evil smirk played across her lips as she crashed through the roof and was met by the incredulous glances of Vash and Knives.

Knives glanced over at her, "Well well, you just love to make an entrance don't you Kurane?"

She brushed herself off, and looked over at Vash, before turning her attention to Knives, "Knives, why do you always insist on hurting Vash? It _really_ pisses me off." She stalked over to him and grabbed him by the ear, "Next time you shoot Vash, I'm going to kill you..._slowly_."

He rolled his eyes and threw her across the room, "Kurane, stop acting like a fool; I should just kill you now and be done with it. Legato will make a _fine_ student...once you're out of the way." With an evil smirk, he snapped his fingers, and Vash's arm began to change.

Vash gasped in pain, "What the...hell...is this!?!" As the Angel Arm finished forming and began to power up, Vash pointed it at Knives.

Knives scowled at him incredulously, "You're not actually aiming at me _again_ are you!?!"

Kurane wrapped her arm around Vash's shoulder and grabbed onto his Angel Arm to steady him. She extended her free hand towards Knives, "Vash! Hang in there." Glaring her hatred at Knives, she fired off a fireball. The spell was fired off at the same time as the Angel Arm, and the two hit Knives at the same moment. There was a flash of light, an explosion, the sensation of flying, and then darkness.

Chase watched from a distance as July disappeared in a flash of light, "So, it has happened as the cards predicted...unfortunate. I wouldn't have minded being wrong in this case." He looked down at the pack of tarot cards in his hand and sighed before walking towards the city.

Legato ran through the ruins of the city, hoping to find Kurane and any friends that may be near. He rounded a corner and found her lying on top of a pile of rubble; she was in demon mode, but her wings were tattered, she had several broken bones and she was barely breathing.

He knelt beside her, afraid to move her in case he made her injuries worse, "Kurane! Kurane, wake up! Wake up! Wake up...please?" Nothing happened, but he decided to stay with her in case she woke.

Legato jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked over to see a badly wounded man with blonde hair. Knives watched Kurane for a few moments before speaking with Legato, "I would assume that you are her boyfriend."

He nodded hesitantly, "...I guess you could say that, though I don't know how she feels about me anymore."

Knives feigned a look of sympathy, "You want to get revenge on the one who did this to her, am I right?" Legato nodded, his eyes hardening with anger. He smirked, "I can help with that. I can tell you who did this to her, and how to defeat him."

His eyes widened in surprise, "You can? That's great! It's going to have to wait until she recovers though, because right now it's too dangerous to move her, and I'm sure as hell not about to leave her."

Knives frowned, it wasn't the response he had expected...but he knew how to handle the situation. With a hit to the back of Legato's head, he knocked the young man senseless and threw him over his shoulder. He looked down at Kurane, and thought of killing her, but chuckled when she let out a shuddering breath as she died. After a moment of thought, he let out a sigh of disappointment, "She could have been so useful to me...but in death she will still prove useful. Perhaps more so than she could have in life."

Chase frowned as he watched Knives carry Legato off on his shoulder, "Yeesh, I can see why Kurane wanted to kill him." He walked over to Kurane and shook his head, "How clumsy of you to die. Now, I'll just have to resurrect you and tell you what happened." Humming quietly to himself, he rifled through his deck of tarot cards until he found the Life card.

Flashback –

A look of sadness crossed his master's face, "If you ever have to resurrect someone, be careful. The process can use enough of a demon's energy that they die, and the one being resurrected dies as well."

Chase was silent for a moment, "...Is that what happened to my brother?" His master nodded.

End Flashback –

Chanting quietly, he touched the card to her forehead and moments later, life flowed through her again and she gasped for breath. He sat next to her for a few minutes, the resurrection having exhausted him. Once he was ready, he pulled out the Healing card and touched it to her forehead. As he chanted, her wounds healed and disappeared.

He watched her for a few minutes, but she didn't wake up. Chase muttered to himself, "I'm forgetting something...something important."

Flashback –

Chase's master yelled at him in anger, "You dolt! You must remember the chant of Awakening! It's one of the most important parts of resurrection!!" Chase sighed, he was being yelled at...again. He hated studying under his master sometimes.

End Flashback –

He sweatdropped, "Why is it I can never remember that?" He shrugged it off as he began the chant, hoping Kurane would wake up. To his relief, her eyes opened moments later and she looked up at him.

She blinked in confusion as she checked for injuries, "I'm not hurt...how is that possible?"

"I used a healing spell on you."

She smiled, "Thank you so much! I don't know your name though...actually I don't even know mine."

Chase mentally cursed himself, 'When a person is resurrected they don't remember things...at first...uh oh.'

Flashback –

Chase's master frowned, "You must remember the chant that controls the speed at which the person regains their memories, I have seen people driven mad by memories returning too quickly."

End Flashback –

Chase cursed, 'Oh shit. I guess I forgot _that_ too.'

(A/N: I felt the need to edit this chapter as well and change the fight with Knives so it wasn't so…overly dramatic. And of course, I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot of this fic.)


	5. Chapter 5

~ Kurane: Hey everyone! I'm doing this chapter intro in the kitchen because two certain _some ones_ (Looks pointedly at Ryuhou and Kazuma) decided that the stage needed to be redecorated...along with half of the resort.

Kazuma: Not my fault. That guy just pisses me off!

Kurane: Kazuma, I'm warning you...don't start that again!

Kanami: No fighting!

Kurane: A-hem. Anyways, here's chapter five. ~

Chapter 5

Kurane poked Chase a couple times to get his attention, "So, you got a name?"

He gave a mock salute, "My name's Chase...and your name is Kurane."

Her eyes widened, "Really? That does seem familiar...in fact; your name seems familiar as well." She winced as a flashback pulled at her.

Flashback –

Kurane came bursting into the bathroom where Legato was preparing to have a bath and turned to him with an anxious look, "Legato, hide!" Despite the situation, she almost had to smile; he was wearing the blue bathrobe she had given him for Christmas the previous year.

One of his eyebrows twitched in irritation, "Kurane, if you don't mind, I'm about to have a bath. Why do I need to hide anyway?"

"I think someone broke into house."

"So why don't you just go deal with the person?"

She growled as she pushed him, "I need to protect you, now HIDE!" Unfortunately, she ended up pushing him into the bathtub...and following him moments later as he grabbed onto her wrist to try and regain his balance. She yelped in surprise as she ended up on his lap in the tub, "Hey, what's the big idea pulling me into the bath!?!"

Legato frowned at her, "I lost my balance when you pushed me!"

"You are _soo_ lucky I'm not wearing a white shirt; you'd be dead otherwise."

"What does _that_ have to do with anything!?!"

"If you can't figure that out on your own, you're an idiot."

"Uh...Kurane, your shirt's kinda...see-through."

"WHAT!?!"

Legato smirked as Kurane started blushing, "Made you look."

She scowled at him, her cheeks bright red, "_Not_ funny."

The door burst open as Chase came running in...and then ran out and slammed the door, "Sorry! I didn't see anything!! Whatever you two were doing, I didn't see anything!!"

Legato and Kurane shouted at him, "We weren't doing anything!!"

End Flashback –

Her cheeks reddened, "What the hell was _that_ about?"

Chase sat down beside her, "So, your memories are returning? Good, it'll make things easier for both of us." Kurane put a hand on her forehead, she suddenly had a killer headache...and then there was another flashback.

Flashback –

Legato hugged her back, "Really? Happy Birthday! I don't have anything to give you as a present though."

She smirked playfully, "Oh, but you gave me the best birthday present ever!" He looked confused, so she continued, her smirk growing, "Yep, that kiss was the best present I could have asked for." She almost burst out laughing as his cheeks once again turned red.

End Flashback –

She groaned, "These flashbacks...what the hell?"

Chase sighed, "That's my fault I'm afraid. You see...you were...and then I had to...revive you. The process caused amnesia."

Her eyes narrowed at him, "I was what?"

He scratched the back of his neck, "Well, you see...I can't tell you until all of your memories return." She scowled at him and was about to start cursing, but didn't get the chance.

Flashback –

Kurane looked around, "Where the hell am I?" The palace was made from black marble, and had a definite 'life is something of the past' feel to it.

A figure stepped out of the shadows, "My dear, I believe you just answered your own question."

She arched an eyebrow, "You mean to say I'm in hell?"

He laughed, "No, not really. You are currently in the Realm of the Dead. I knew we would meet someday, Chase's cards are never wrong...anymore. Of course they were rather...inaccurate at first, but he -" He trailed off, a look of unease on his face.

Kurane tilted her head to the side, "Are you his brother?"

His eyes widened for a moment, "...No, I just watched him training. Anyway, I am the Lord of the Dead...but I guess you can call me Damien."

She stretched, "Cool. Now about what you were saying about Chase...he's human isn't he?"

He sat down on his throne, "No, he's a demon just like you or I."

End Flashback –

She blinked a couple times, and then looked over at Chase, "You're a demon? Why didn't you tell me about that?"

His eyes widened, "What the...how did you find that out?"

Kurane shrugged, "Does it matter?" He sighed, 'She's nuts...she has to be. That's the only explanation I can think of.'

'Really? I could think of a few other explanations.'

'ACK! What the...!?!'

'What's the matter? Forget I'm a telepath?' He sweatdropped as turned to look at her, and then he noticed her Bloodstone...or more precisely...the rune carved into said Bloodstone. His eyes widened, "Kurane! That rune...that's the Soul Rage rune! Where in the nine hells did you get _that_!?!"

She shrugged, "Can't remember." As you can imagine that caused a couple things...Chase twitching for starters...and the predictable flashback. (A/N: Only one or two more flashbacks, I promise.)

Flashback -

Damien sighed apologetically, "You died before your task was accomplished...and I apologize for that...but it was foretold, and there must have been a reason for it. The only one I can think of is that I am supposed to give you something. Perhaps _you're_ the one I'm supposed to give that rune to."

Kurane blinked a couple times, "Rune? What rune?"

He smiled, "Think of it as a parting gift, or compensation if you like. I'll need to see your bloodstone though." Without hesitation, she pulled out the stone and he closed his eyes before tracing a rune onto the stone with his finger. When he was done, the rune flashed and was carved into the stone. He sighed in exhaustion, "The rune is called Soul Rage, and it should help you."

She helped him to his throne, and gave him a smile, "Thanks, I appreciate this. How am I supposed to...?" She trailed off when she felt a peculiar tug on her soul.

His eyes half-closed in sleep, "It's all taken care of. Be careful this time would you?"

End Flashback –

Kurane's eyes widened, "What the...!?! Why does all the weird stuff happen to me? Whatever...at least I can remember pretty much everything now."

Chase smiled in relief, "Good. I was...beginning to...worry -" He trailed off as he collapsed next to Kurane.

She cradled his head in her lap, "Chase! Wake up you moron!" She bit her lip, 'What the hell's wrong with him?' She almost cried out in shock when she heard the Lord of the Dead's voice, 'He's alright; he just exhausted himself with the resurrection...and the healing.' The two spent many minutes talking, and Wolfwood found Kurane and Chase a while later.

Wolfwood ran over to her, "Kurane! Are you ok? What the hell happened?"

Kurane looked up at him, "I'm fine. Damn, it's good to see you!"

He blinked a couple times, "What happened to Chase?"

She got to her feet and pulled Chase up with her, "He's exhausted, that's all. You should take him somewhere to rest; I'm going after Legato and Knives."

He frowned, "No way in hell. You're coming back to the orphanage with us, not going after Legato. You don't look injured, but you can't have gone through that blast without harm."

Kurane smiled at Chase, "Chase healed me; that's why he's exhausted." Wolfwood nodded, deciding to leave the questions for later. She handed Chase to him, "Knives thinks I'm dead, so this is the perfect opportunity to catch him by surprise. There's even an added bonus...he's severely wounded. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity."

He grabbed her by the shoulder, "I don't care. You need to rest, so you should come back to the orphanage with us." She clenched her teeth, 'Don't you understand? I need to save him before Knives corrupts him! If I don't get to him in time, all this would have been for nothing...wait, maybe there is a way. What are the words? ...Soul Rage.'

Kurane pulled away from Wolfwood and shuddered, 'This power...the rune? Is this what the rune does?' She bit her lip before the force inside her was released with a shout, "Soul Rage!" Wolfwood winced as a blue light erupted from the Bloodstone and surrounded Kurane. When the light was gone, Kurane was in demon mode, with a couple changes. Instead of red bat wings, she had blood red angel wings and her eyes were emerald green.

He backed up a couple steps, "What the hell? Kurane?"

She rested a hand on her face, "Soul Rage; the rune...or ability given to me by -" She lifted the hand from her face and walked towards Wolfwood; her eyes and face emotionless.

He jumped back as her claws extended and she swung at him, "What the hell?" He had to keep on his toes to avoid Kurane's attacks, and growled at her, "Kurane, don't you recognize me!?!" She stopped herself in mid-swing and relaxed as her eyes turned amber. Wolfwood rested a hesitant hand on her shoulder, "Kurane, are you ok now?"

She nodded, "I think so, but don't take my word for it. I don't know what happened...I guess I have to work on controlling the rune. It's not safe for me to go after Legato until I can control it."

He sighed in relief, "Alright, then let's get going. It's a long way to the orphanage, and I somehow doubt we'll be catching a bus around here." He eyed the rune carved into the Bloodstone, "Hey, who gave that to you anyway?" Before Kurane could answer, she collapsed and returned to her human form. He caught her with a curse, "How the hell am I supposed to get you two all the way back to the orphanage by myself?"

Wolfwood smirked when he noticed a damaged, but useable truck, "Lord, this may be a sin, but desperate times call for desperate measures...I only hope I'm able to hotwire the damn thing." Luckily enough, he found a set of keys and managed to get the truck moving...albeit at a very slow pace.

Chase gave a groan as he came around and opened his eyes, "...Wolfwood, you don't have a truck...Waitaminute!! You stole it!?! Haven't you heard of 'Thou shalt not steal'!?! What the hell kind of churchman are you!?!"

He gave him an irritated glare, "Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures so shut up! Besides, you were both unconscious so what was I supposed to do?"

He sweatdropped, "I dunno, wait for us to wake up so we could talk you out of doing something illegal?"

Kurane stretched as she came around, "...Nani? Hey Wolfwood, where'd you get this truck? Nice steal Nii-san!"

Chase's eyes widened, "Kurane!! Don't encourage him!!"

She rolled her eyes, "Uh, Chase? Don't you think you should be thanking him for getting our sorry asses out of there?"

A vein pulsed in his temple, "Fine. Thanks for saving our sorry asses, but next time don't hotwire someone else's vehicle!"

Wolfwood smirked at him, "Ok, no prob. By the way, I didn't hotwire this one...I found the keys." He and Kurane burst out laughing as Chase rambled off a few strings of curses.

----

Knives watched Legato with a glare of annoyance, the human was taking a long time to regain consciousness. He frowned, "Humans. So pathetic and weak; I don't see why Vash wastes his energy protecting them." A vicious grin crossed his face as Legato came around.

He tried to put a hand to his face, but found that his hands were bound with lengths of rope. Legato's eyes widened, "What the hell!?!" His eyes focused on Knives and he scowled at the blonde-haired man, "What the hell did you tie me up for!?!"

Knives ignored his outburst, "I have news for you, concerning a certain demon."

Legato's eyes widened, "Kurane? What about her? What did you do to her you bastard!?!"

He leaned against the wall, where shadows conveniently hid the amused smirk playing across his lips, "She's dead. I know who killed her, and I can help you get revenge on him...help you make him suffer."

Legato was too stunned to react for a moment, but when he replied, his voice was cold and monotone, "Teach me."

Knives' smirk grew, "Alright. First question; who do you serve?"

He frowned slightly, "Myself."

He kicked him across the room, "Try again. Who do you serve?"

----

Kurane, Chase and Wolfwood arrived at the orphanage within a couple days and a crowd of young children greeted them. They laughed and swarmed around Wolfwood, "Nico-Nii!!"

He smiled at them, "Hey guys, we need to go inside and rest for now, but I promise we'll come play with you later. Ok?" There were several pouts and sounds of disappointment, but the children soon ran off and continued playing.

Kurane smiled as she watched the kids run off, and then followed Wolfwood and Chase into the building. A nun greeted them in the entrance, "Welcome, you must be tired after such a long journey! Wolfwood will show you to your rooms." She turned to Kurane and smiled, "I'm so glad you got him to return! We don't see him often even though he founded the place; he's always off raising money."

She rested a hand on the back of her neck, "Actually, I didn't bring him back here...he brought me." She smirked as she watched Wolfwood hugging some of the children, "I'm not surprised he spends all his time supporting this place, he loves kids."

The nun rested a hand on her shoulder, "Well, you go get some rest now." After he detached the kids from his waist, he led Chase and Kurane to their rooms and they both were soon asleep.

The next morning came early, and Kurane stretched as she woke. She was about to get out of bed when she noticed a small form huddled next to her. Blinking, she pushed aside a few locks of blonde hair to reveal a four-year-old. With a smile, she covered the boy with a blanket and pulled him closer.

Chase came walking into her room an hour later, "Kurane? Are you awake?"

She peered at him over the top of the blankets, "Yeah, what's up?"

"We need to talk."

She climbed out of bed, "Alright, follow me." They walked an ile away from the orphanage before stopping to talk. Kurane turned to Chase, "Where do you want to start?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "What happened during the trip while I asleep?"

She raised an eyebrow, "That's not where I expected you to want to start, but never the less. I told Wolfwood that your healing skills are so advanced they may be seen as magic, but I didn't tell him about you being a demon."

Chase sighed in relief, "Thank you for that, I was worried. Just out of curiosity, where did you expect me to start?"

Kurane sat on the sand the dune, and gestured for him to do the same, "I have to tell you something about the Lord of the Dead...something involving your brother."

He gave her his immediate attention, "What does my brother have to do with any of this?"

She bit her lip uncertainly, "Your brother...he knew how to shape shift, right?" He nodded, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. She continued, "Since it's what I'm best at, I'll be blunt about this. Your brother faked his death to avoid having to fight over the title with you and he is currently -"

He interrupted her, "Whoa whoa whoa. You're saying my brother _faked_ his death? Why?"

She gave him an irritated look before continuing, "- ruling the Realm of the Dead in an assumed form. That form being the son of an influential family that has more power than yours."

Chase looked at her in confusion, "Supposing this is all true...why would he fake his death to avoid the fight when he was just going to take the throne by other means?"

Kurane sighed, "One, this is all true; he told me himself. And two, the fight was to the death and he didn't want the winner to have to live with the guilt."

He nodded after a moment of silence, "Alright, I believe you. Now, before I leave for home, do you have anything you want to ask?"

She lay back in the sand, "Yeah actually. Damien mentioned that my death was foretold, care to explain that?"

His eyes widened slightly, "Oh _that_. Well..."

Flashback –

Chase walked into the throne room and was greeted by the new Lord of the Dead, "Ah, Chase! What wonderful timing!" Standing next to the monarch was an irate looking councilor who was shooting glares at Chase. With a grumbled curse, the councilor stormed out of the room. The monarch gave him a grin, "Thank you! You saved me from some boring little details. Now, let's have a look at what the tarot cards say about the one you have to protect."

He walked to the table and shuffled the deck before laying six cards out on the table, face down. He flipped over the first card, depicting a nature scene and a wild spirit, "The Wild card. From what the card tells me, she is a fox demon...a rather short-tempered one at that."

His ruler smirked, "Should make your first mission interesting."

Chase muttered a few curses under his breath before turning over the next card, "The Demon card. That short fuse of hers will often lead her to violence; it makes her a very dangerous person." He looked down at the demon with the bloodied claws on the card and shuddered.

He turned over the next card, "The Lovers' card. Usually it's a good sign, and this time it's not all bad. It's sideways which means that she will find love, lose it, but she may find it again." The card depicted a couple standing on a moonlit balcony, holding hands.

The Lord of the Dead looked thoughtfully at Chase, "Maybe you're the one she'll fall in love with."

Chase rolled his eyes as he flipped the fourth card, wincing as he looked down at the grinning image of the Reaper, "The Death card. She will die before completing her business, and come to this realm." He flipped the next card and a look of curiosity flickered across his face, "The Card of Secrets. I've never had this one show up in my readings before...I believe it means she will receive something from you...but I'm not certain."

His monarch shifted in his seat, "I wonder if it means...hmmm."

Chase arched an eyebrow, but flipped the last card, "The Rebirth card. She will be resurrected by...me? I've never resurrected someone before..." He looked down at the phoenix rising from the ashes and sighed, it was going to be very...interesting.

"Don't worry about the resurrection. Just be careful to remember your training and you'll both be alright."

"Thanks. I guess I'd better...hey there's another card." He flipped over the card and saw the Life card; depicting the sun shining over a valley lush with growth. He held the card up for his ruler to see, "I'm not surprised to see this card, it's never far from the Death card." With a sigh, he left to start on his mission.

End Flashback –

She looked at him thoughtfully, "So that's how it all started huh? Interesting."

He smirked at her, "Well, see ya. I'm going back to the Realm of the Dead where I belong. Tell Wolfwood I say thanks and goodbye, would you?" She nodded and with a wave, he disappeared.

Wolfwood waved at her as she walked in the door, "Welcome back! Where's Chase?"

Kurane shrugged, "He said to tell you 'Thanks and goodbye' before he left."

He sighed, "Oh well, I figured he would leave soon."

5 years later in Inepril city –

Alex, the manager of the restaurant, called to Kurane, "Hey wench! The customer from table seven wants a bowl of soup!"

Anna smirked at Lynn, the new waitress, "3...2...1..." *WHAM!*

Lynn sweatdropped, "Oh my, I didn't think a table could fly that far!"

She chuckled, "Since Kurane started working here, I've seen a _lot_ of things happen I didn't think were possible."

She raised an eyebrow, "With how the customers ducked without even looking, you'd think this happens everyday."

Anna grinned, "Not everyday...some days he's at home recovering."

Kurane walked over to table seven with the bowl of soup and set it down, "Enjoy your soup!"

He smirked at her, "Thanks, by the way...good shot."

Lynn walked over to Alex, and her eyes widened, "...Kurane, I think you killed him."

The customer's smirk grew, "I take that back..._excellent_ shot."

Kurane thanked him and turned to Lynn with a shrug, "Nah, he's only faking it."

She looked down at him, "...Ummmmm...Kurane, do you know CPR?"

She thought for a moment, "...No."

Anna chuckled quietly, and Lynn turned to her, "She really doesn't know how to do CPR?"

She burst out laughing, "This is what she refers to as 'selective amnesia.' You'll get used to it."

Wolfwood walked in and looked at Alex (who was still pinned beneath a table) before turning an exasperated look on Kurane, "You have to stop doing that Imouto-san; you're going to kill him one of these days."

She gave him an annoyed look, "I'm glad to see you too."

He sat down at one of the tables and gave her a pleading look, "Can I get a beer?" She rolled her eyes as she poured a beer and set it down on the table in front of him. Wolfwood smiled, "Thanks." His eyes drifted over to Alex before he spoke again, "You should probably go unpin him before he dies."

Kurane shrugged, "A little oxygen deprivation won't kill him...it might actually help him."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, it doesn't matter. I actually came to talk to you about more serious matters."

Her eyes snapped back to his face as she gave him her undivided attention, "Such as...?"

Wolfwood emptied his beer, "Well, Soul Rage for starters, and then it gets good."

Kurane arched an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

He was silent for a moment, "I need to talk to you about Legato Bluesummers."

"...Ah. I see what you mean about it getting good." Her lips curved into a humorless smirk.

He leaned back against the chair casually, "So, have you mastered the rune, or do you still need to work on it?"

She traced a finger idly over the rune, "It took a few years, but I've mastered it. Now, what is it about Legato?"

A frown passed across his face, "He may be headed this way."

Kurane raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "What would bring him here?"

Wolfwood gave her an irritated glance, "Obviously he's after Vash."

She blinked a couple times, "Vash is coming here?"

He nodded, "Yeah, and for some reason Legato seems to think you're dead."

She arched an eyebrow, "You've spoken with him? Didn't you tell him I'm alive?" Mentally, Kurane cursed, 'Knives must have told Legato about my death...damn it!'

Wolfwood frowned, "I tried, but he didn't believe me. He believes everything Knives tells him."

Kurane's eyes flared amber in anger, "I'm gonna kill that damn son of a -"

He silenced her by putting his fingers to her lips, "Calm down. Getting worked up isn't gonna help anyone." She sighed; things were going to get interesting.

(A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! I meant to have this chapter up a lot sooner, but...

Pretz: You got lazy.

Kurane: Wolfwood, give me your cross. -_-*

Wolfwood: No! You'll dent it…again!

Anyways, I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot.)


	6. Chapter 6

~ Shigure walks on stage and smirks, "Hello everyone! Kurane asked me to take care of this chapter intro -"

Kurane: No I didn't!! I asked you help me get this homicidal vampire off my back!!

Arime: Kurane, get your ass back here!!

Kurane: Yipes!

Mitchan: Shigure! Do you have those five hundred pages you promised me?

Shigure: Ack!!

Kaori: Here's chapter six, enjoy. ~

Chapter 6

- Flashback –

Kurane was leaning against the wall, reading quietly when a young boy, no more than eight or nine, came running out of the alley nearby. He paused to catch his breath and jumped in surprise when he heard someone shout, "Hey! Get back here you little thief!!" The boy cursed and ran down the street towards her. As he was about to run past, she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, placing him behind her protectively.

The man came towards them and stopped in front of her, his expression dangerous, "Why are you protecting that thief?"

She turned to face the boy, "Otouto-chan, what did you do _this_ time?" She gave him a sly wink, telling him to play along.

A brief look of gratitude crossed his face before he put on an expression of sorrowful regret, "Gomen Nee-san. I was just trying to help you pay the bills."

Kurane hugged him, "I know, and I appreciate, but be careful. After losing our parents, I couldn't stand to lose my only brother." Zac winced mentally, 'Lay it on thick enough? No way he's gonna buy that.'

The man scowled at Zac, "I guess I'll let you go this time, but if I ever catch you picking my pockets or anyone else's..." He left the threat hanging and walked off, muttering curses under his breath.

When he was out of sight and ear shot, Zac looked up at Kurane, "Thanks."

She smirked, "No problem. What's your name?"

He bowed with an impish smirk, "Name's Zac. How about you?"

"Kurane." She hit him over the head with her book, "If you're gonna pick pockets, at least try not to get caught."

End Flashback -

Wolfwood frowned, "Hey Kurane, are you paying attention?"

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "Sorry, my mind kinda wandered for a minute. What were you saying?"

He shrugged, "Nothing important. What were you thinking about anyway?"

Kurane smiled softly, "I was just thinking about the first time I met Zac."

Wolfwood blinked a couple times, "The little pickpocket you saved three months ago?" She nodded. He smirked, "You should introduce me to him sometime."

She laughed, "Alright, but make sure you have nothing of value in your pockets when you're near him. As a matter of fact, don't let the little pest get too close to you."

"You sound almost as if you don't like him."

"I like him, but be careful. He's a damn good thief."

Wolfwood raised an eyebrow with an amused grin, "I take it he's stolen from you before?"

Kurane leaned back in her chair as she stretched, "He's _tried_ to steal from me but he hasn't been successful as of yet."

He blinked, "You mean you haven't killed him for trying to steal from you?"

She gave him a flat look, "I don't kill everyone who annoys me, I just -" She cut off abruptly as the ring she was wearing started to pulse with a blue light. A curse escaped her lips, "Damn it! What did he do _this_ time!?!" Grumbling, she walked over to Alex, "I need the rest of the day off."

Wolfwood walked up to Alex as Kurane ran out the back door; Alex turned to him, "Ok, what happened _this_ time?"

He thought for a moment, "Death in the family."

"Wow, that's the tenth one in a week," He sweatdropped, "she must be running out of family."

----

Vash ran for the shelter of the rocks, dodging bullets as he went. He jumped behind a rock to come face to face with one of the Boomerang Bandit's henchmen. Wasting no time, he tackled the man and knocked him out with the butt of his gun before searching for bullets. He looked down at the ring Kurane had given him, 'I hope she gets here soon.'

He heard the sound of the Boomerang Bandit's footsteps getting closer and tensed up, 'I _really_ hope she gets here soon.' One of the henchmen walked around the side of the rock and pointed Vash out to his boss. Shortly after, Vash could hear the sound of the boomerang approaching and he cursed, "Get down!!"

The man didn't know what hit him. No sooner had Vash called out his warning, when Kurane came hurtling out of the sky to tackle the man and, thus, save his life. An angry curse escaped her lips, "Vash, I swear, the next time you get yourself in trouble, I'm gonna shoot you."

He sweatdropped, "Hi Kurane." She turned to glare at him, then sighed and hugged him instead. Vash looked over at the man Kurane had tackled, "Is he alright?" Kurane nodded and he smiled in relief, "Thanks for saving him."

She rubbed her shoulder, "Hmmm? Oh, no problem." With the exception of her extended claws, Kurane had changed back into her human form. Her eyes narrowed when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

----

Wolfwood sighed, 'I wonder what's taking Kurane so long. It usually only takes her a few minutes to get needle noggin out of trouble.' He walked down an alley, not really paying much attention until he noticed a kid leaning against the wall nearby. Zac smirked, "You would be Wolfwood I assume?" He nodded, unsure of what else to do.

Zac grinned, "Sensei told us all about you." He turned to one of the abandoned buildings, "Didn't she?" Nine other kids, about the same age as Zac, peered out the windows of the house.

He raised an eyebrow, "Who is your sensei?"

Jamie and Derik walked up beside their twin brother, "Kurane Onee-sama of course."

----

The Boomerang Bandit raised an eyebrow when he saw Kurane, "Well what do we have here?"

His second in command blinked at Kurane a couple times before his eyes widened, "Boss! I think she's the Demoness!" Kurane glared at two of the henchmen who were talking about her and killed them with her throwing knives.

He looked down at her and then turned a skeptical glance on his second in command, "You mean to say this short statured, short tempered, flat chested little wench is the Demoness?"

Vash watched with concern as she twitched at each insult. "Kurane, please don't kill anyone." He whispered quietly.

She closed her eyes in concentration and murmured, "Soul Rage." And in a flurry of feathered wings and sharp claws, everything went to hell.

----

Chase sat down next to Legato with a smile, "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

The other man's face remained impassive, "It has."

"You're not as talkative as I remember, but that doesn't matter. The past is the past after all." The demon sighed before mentally shrugging off his melancholy, "I came to talk to you about Kurane."

"What about her?"

Chase smirked slightly, knowing that he had Legato's full attention, "She did die during the July incident, _however_, she is alive and well."

Midvalley raised an eyebrow, "If she died, then how could she be alive?"

The demon stretched, "I used my magic to bring her back to life." His gaze shifted to Legato, "If you want to see her, go to Inepril city. The restaurant she works in is owned by a man named Alex."

The musician watched as Chase left, and an uneasy expression settled onto his face, "Master Legato, are you sure you want trust him?"

"Absolutely." He looked at the saxophone player over his shoulder, "Is Zazi the Beast in place?" Midvalley nodded.

----

Vash's eyes widened, "Kurane!" He had never seen her in this form, and it unnerved him, especially with all the still forms lying around.

She swooped down from the sky to land near him, "What?"

He looked into the amber eyes he was by now very familiar with, "Did you kill them?"

Kurane shook her head, "No, but they're gonna have killer headaches when they wake up."

He watched her for a moment, "I didn't know a demon could become an angel."

Kurane blinked, "What?" She arched an eyebrow at him, "Vash, what the hell are you talking about? Demons can't become angels, it's impossible."

Pointing at her wings, he asked, "Then why...?"

There was a slight gust of wind as Kurane shifted back into her normal demon form, "It's a long story." Her expression grew morose, "A _very_ long story."

"When I get to Inepril, you can tell me if you want." He offered, in hopes of cheering her up.

She nodded with an appreciative smile and flew up into the air, "Till we meet at Inepril." Smirking impishly at the insurance girls hiding nearby, she tossed a propaganda bomb to land a few feet from them. Their startled shouts echoed back to her as she flew off.

----

Meryl walked over to Vash, one of Kurane's cards in her hand, "Just what the hell is going on?" She shoved the card into his hands with an angry frown. He backed up a few steps to get away from her.

Millie put a hand on Meryl's shoulder, "There's point getting angry Meryl, it didn't cause any damage."

Vash looked off in the direction Kurane had flown, "I get this feeling that I should hurry."

The insurance girls blinked at him, "What?"

He shrugged, "Nothing."

----

Wolfwood looked up with a relieved sigh when the sound of wings reached his ears. The sight that greeted Kurane when she touched down in the alley nearly made her burst out laughing. Zac's little guild of pickpockets had surrounded Wolfwood and tied him up. She covered her mouth to try and stifle her laughter, "It would seem that your love of children has proved to be your undoing Nico-Nii."

He glared at her, "Get me out of here! They listen to you don't they?"

Zac came towards her and bowed gracefully, "Ohio sensei. We decided to detain our guest for you."

She smiled and hugged him fondly, "I appreciate, but you didn't need to do that. Now, please untie him." He nodded to Rosalind, and she slipped the knot in the rope.

Freed from the ropes, he walked over to Kurane, "Do they do this to all their guests?"

She shook her head, "No, but then again they would never catch me off guard enough to be able to tie me up." Looking around, Kurane sensed another presence watching them from the rooftop. Her eyes narrowed and she whispered quietly, "Zac, get everyone out of here. Now."

Seeing the look in her eyes and knowing better than to question her, Zac turned to his friends, "Let's go." He was worried for her, but trusted that she could defend herself.

----

Kurane looked up at Zazi, "What do you want?"

He dropped down from the roof, "I came to see if what we heard was true." At the sight of her impatiently lengthening claws, he continued, "We heard that you died, but were brought back to life and were living here."

She absently traced the two scars of resurrection that ran a short length down her arm, "So, what now? What do you want?" Her gaze shifted to Wolfwood, 'Maybe it's a good thing I told him after all.'

Zazi shrugged, "Nothing. Master Legato sent me here to see if you were alive or not."

An irritated growl left her throat, "I have policies against hurting children, even if you are only a child in body, so I'm going to leave before I do something I will certainly regret later." The youngest Gung Ho Gun watched as she turned and left the alley, 'Interesting, that wasn't quite the reaction I expected from her.'

Wolfwood cleared his throat to get the obviously distracted demon's attention, "What does he want with her?"

"Why would I know, Chapel?"

"Don't call me that." Wolfwood snapped angrily. He scowled, "If he wants to give her to Knives -"

Zazi shook his head, "I doubt he would go to all the trouble of finding out if his jewel is alive or not just to give her up to Knives."

He looked off in the direction Kurane had gone, "His jewel?"

----

Kurane punched the wall outside the restaurant, "Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!"

"Stop that." Wolfwood chided her as he grabbed her wrist. She gave him a look of annoyance, and proceeded to kick the wall. He twitched, "Stop that!"

"Why? Is it annoying?" She smirked. He sighed and followed her into the restaurant where they found Lynn in a corner.

Kurane knelt beside the young woman, "What's the matter?" She motioned for Wolfwood to go grab a table and he left without a question.

"I-it's n-nothing." Lynn stammered quietly. Kurane's disbelieving glance told the young woman that she had better tell the truth.

----

Kurane walked to the front of the restaurant and cast her glance about the room, which soon fell silent. "Thanks for giving me your attention." She smiled appreciatively. Then her expression turned dangerous, "We have an issue here. One of the waitresses, a new employee here, was grabbed."

Lynn rushed towards her, "Please, it doesn't matter. Just let it drop."

A malicious grin crossed her face, "Would someone care to refresh our memory as to what happened the _last_ time a waitress was grabbed?" A shudder ran through the patrons as they remembered the example made of the last fool to grab a waitress.

Wolfwood watched Kurane as she eyed the crowd, trying to single out the person responsible. 'I wonder what she's going to do to _this_ idiot.' He wondered idly. 'Probably the same thing she did to the last one.'

As she scanned the crowd, her eyes settled on a man who seemed somewhat confused. She cracked her knuckles calmly as she started towards his table, intent on causing him a great deal of pain. He looked up as she approached and noted the homicidal gleam in her eyes, "...What?"

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the door, "We have a lot to discuss, come with me." He didn't get time to argue with her. Wolfwood grabbed her wrist to try to stop her, but the look she gave him made him back up a few steps. He cursed, 'I hope I was just seeing things. Her eyes turning green is never a good sign.'

----

"So Zazi, is what Chase told us true?" Midvalley asked, curiosity showing in his eyes.

The demon sat back in his chair, "It is. She's not quite what I expected, but she _is_ interesting."

The saxophone player raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"She's a demon for starters," he replied casually. "And she's surrounded herself with pocket picking orphans." He muttered in annoyance.

Midvalley leaned back against the wall, a contemplative expression on his face, "So Master Legato's jewel isn't human...interesting." He turned his gaze on Zazi, "You'd better go report." He nodded and left the room, a slightly curious look on his face.

----

The man winced as Kurane threw him against the wall. Her eyes narrowed at him, "You must be new to this town. Anyone that lives here could tell you that grabbing a waitress is a stupid move."

He rubbed his shoulder, "What the hell's your problem?"

"So glad you asked." She growled sarcastically. "Lynn is my friend, and I take serious exception to people upsetting my friends." Her voice turned cold and dangerous.

"Kurane!" Lynn shouted.

The demoness' expression calmed as she turned to her, "Yes Lynn?"

She grabbed Kurane's wrist and pulled her away from the man, "Don't hurt him, please."

"Give me five good reasons and I _might_ consider it." She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Anna coming towards them.

Anna sighed, "I hate getting between you and the people you wanna kick the crap out of, but don't you think you've scared him enough?" She watched Kurane, 'Her eyes...they're green...that's strange, I thought they were brown.'

Wolfwood watched from the shadows, 'Sorry Kurane, but you're not exactly yourself right now and I can risk you killing someone. I hope Anna knows how to calm you down...'

----

Zazi entered Legato's room at the man's mental bidding. His eyes met Legato's cold amber ones, "She's alive as he said. I didn't get a chance to confirm her workplace, but then again I didn't expect her to sense my presence." He shrugged.

"You should have been on your guard, child." Leonof the Puppet Master muttered from the corner of the room.

"I didn't expect her to be a demon." He snapped furiously.

"You didn't need to know." Legato stated quietly. There were a few moments of silence, and sensing that his presence was no longer required, Zazi left the room.

Midvalley raised an eyebrow at the enraged demon, "What's the matter?"

"That damn Leonof!" He spat angrily. He took a couple breaths to calm himself, "Nothing much happened." Zazi walked down the hall before turning back to the saxophone player, "Master Legato's keeping secrets by the way."

"I could have told you that." He whispered quietly, not surprised that they weren't being told everything.

----

"Can I at least smack him?" Kurane asked quietly, her eyes returning to their usual brown.

Anna shrugged, "Sure, go for it. Just don't over do it ok?" She frowned in confusion as her friend turned to the man, 'Her eyes changed color...what's going on?' Her gaze shifted to where Wolfwood was hiding in the shadows, 'He knows something important.'

Lynn grabbed Kurane's shoulder after the first punch, "Stop. Please?"

"Fine." She walked off towards her apartment, suddenly very tired.

As Wolfwood turned to follow her, Anna grabbed his wrist, "I have a couple questions for you."

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Hmmm...?"

"Why did her eyes change color? That's not normal."

He pulled out of her grasp and walked away, "You'd have to ask her about that."

----

Vash sat on a cliff and sighed, "I can hardly believe the anniversaries are tommorow."

"What anniversaries?" Meryl asked as she sat beside him.

"I can't tell you." He smiled sadly.

She frowned at him, "And just why the hell not?"

Some of the sadness left his smile, "Because." She twitched and muttered several irritated swears. He laughed, "You remind me of Kurane when you swear like that."

Meryl blinked, "Kurane?"

Millie tossed over and muttered in her sleep, "Pudding and ice cream in one stomach, cake in another." She laughed quietly and tossed again.

Vash and Meryl blinked and smiled at her. He looked up at the stars, "You've met her already, that's all I'm going to say."

----

Kurane walked towards the couch and collapsed on it, quickly falling asleep. Zac wandered into the room and shook his head when he saw her, "Leaving the door open, I'm disappointed." He looked down at her sleeping form and covered her with a blanket.

Wolfwood cleared his throat, "Zac, what are you doing here?"

The young thief put a finger to his lips, "Shhhh! She's sleeping." Wolfwood looked down at Kurane and relaxed, 'At least she's resting now.' A thought about earlier events made him frown, 'Something's bothering her. When Zazi mentioned Legato, she wasn't happy about it like I expected.' Zac smirked slightly at the distracted priest, 'An easy mark. The old sleeping trick should work.'

He approached Wolfwood and yawned, holding his arms out to be picked up, "Nico-Nii." His love of children proved once again to be his undoing as he absently picked up the young thief. Zac grinned widely as he carefully unhooked the clasp on Wolfwood's crucifix necklace and slipped it into his pocket.

Wolfwood closed the door and left Kurane sleeping on the couch as he carried Zac into one of the guest bedrooms. As he was carried, the young guild master felt his eyelids droop and he was soon fast asleep, a contented smile on his face that wasn't entirely the result of his successful heist. After tucking Zac into bed, Wolfwood went into the other guest room and fell asleep.

----

It was early morning as Zazi walked back into Inepril; he had come back to find out a few things. He wanted to find out more about Legato's jewel as he and Midvalley called her. He thought on that, 'Maybe 'jewel' isn't the best description for her. Oh well, it works.' Since Zazi the Beast was able to control animals, and Kurane was a fox demon, it made tracking her down a bit easier. He quickly found her apartment and, since the door was locked, he went in through the window.

----

Kurane shifted in her sleep, "...Legato..." A troubled frown crossed her face and Zazi raised an eyebrow, 'Interesting.' He could hear snores from the other rooms, but ignored them for the moment; there was something about her that nagged at the back of his mind.

----

Someone was calling her name, someone far away. There was silence, and then the call came again, more insistently this time. Kurane frowned, "...Go...away." Whoever was calling her wasn't going to let up until she woke. Her eyes snapped open in anger, "What the hell do you want?" Zazi smirked; she was most definitely not a morning person. She blinked at him, "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "I came to find out a few things."

Kurane sighed as she headed towards the kitchen with him following, "Like what?"

Deciding to be blunt, he got straight to the point, "When I told you about Legato, you were upset."

"And let me guess, you wanna know why." She grumbled as she began mixing pancake batter. He nodded, watching her calmly. "...You're working for Legato, which means that you're also working for his 'Master'. In that case I don't think I can tell you." She sighed and gazed at him, something nagged at her every time she saw him, but she didn't know what it was.

Curiosity glimmered faintly in Zazi's eyes, "What do you know about Knives?"

Kurane's fist slammed down onto the counter in anger and she hissed quietly, "Don't mention him around me."

----

Wolfwood awoke with a start when he heard the commotion in the kitchen. He sighed, 'I'd better go see what's going on.' He could see Kurane from the doorway, and seeing the expression on her face, he decided it might be a better idea to stay put.

----

Zac jumped awake when he heard the tumult in the kitchen and he poked his head out the door to look. He saw Wolfwood standing in the doorway of the next room and whispered, "What's going on?"

Wolfwood shrugged and whispered back, "I don't know, but I'd stay put if I were you."

----

Zazi raised an eyebrow and asked dryly, "I take it you two are not on the friendliest of terms?"

Regaining her composure, she smirked, "You could say that. You could even go so far as to say we both want the other dead."

"Then you have a score to settle with him?" He asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Three." Kurane growled as she started cooking pancakes.

Zazi couldn't hide his curiosity, "Three?" She paused and looked over her shoulder at him, 'Why am I even telling him this?' He noted her expression, "What three scores do you have to settle?"

She twitched and was about to yell at him when the coffee pot exploded into glowing shards. Cursing, Kurane quickly dumped cold water on the pieces to prevent a fire. She sighed, "Pirokinesis strikes again."

He blinked, "What?"

"Pirokinesis. When I get mad, things occasionally burst into flames or explode." She replied while cleaning up the water and bits of glass. That done, she rinsed her hands and went back to cooking breakfast.

"He'll arrive today." Zazi told her over his shoulder as he left.

Kurane stopped in the process of flipping a pancake, "He's coming today?" She cursed, 'Those two just _had_ to come on the same day, didn't they? ...Waitaminute...Vash and Legato in the same city...that doesn't bode well.'

Zac cautiously poked his head into the kitchen, "Nee-san?" She turned to him and smiled before handing him a plate of pancakes. He took the plate and looked up at her, "Nee-san, are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, now go eat." He hesitated, but after a moment left for the other room.

Kurane's gaze met Wolfwood's and he walked over, "What's wrong Imouto-san?" Her silence told him enough, "Legato."

----

Leonof looked down at Knives, "Master Knives?"

'I didn't ask for you puppet master, I summoned Legato.' The plant growled telepathically.

"Master Legato is carrying out your orders. He is following Vash the Stampede to the city of Inepril right now."

'Oh well. Today is a good day, so I suppose I can be lenient.'

Curiosity flashed across Leonof's face, "Today is a good day?"

'Today is the anniversary of the day I killed Kurane, and Rem Saverem's last living relative.' He kept one thing to himself, 'It doesn't matter that Kurane died the day _after_ Rem's last relative.'

"Ah, about the Saverem relative -" Leonof shifted slightly out of discomfort, "-We have discovered that there is one more. Apparently, Rem has a sister."

(A/N: I was going to continue for a bit longer, but I decided that leaving it as a cliffhanger was too tempting. As always, I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot.

Knives: Who and where is Rem's sister?

Kurane: As if I'm gonna tell _you_!!

Knives: (glare) Do you want to die again?

Vash: Love and Peace!

Kurane and Knives: (twitch) Vash...

Wolfwood: Hey needle noggin, get back here! )


	7. Chapter 7

~ Kurane: Hey everyone! Sorry about this chapter taking so long! Hope you enjoy it! ~

Chapter 7

'Find her and bring her to me alive.' Knives growled. Leonof nodded, not wanting to further enrage the plant. He left the ship and returned to Legato's home to find Midvalley.

----

The musician was sitting on the couch, playing his saxophone when Leonof entered with a slightly worried expression. Raising an eyebrow in silent question, he stopped playing and waited for an answer.

Leonof turned to him, "Go to Inepril and seek out Zazi the Beast. Rem Saverem has a sister and we are to find her by Master Knives' order."

The Hornfreak gave him a flat stare, "Why does it matter that a dead woman has a sister?"

The puppet master narrowed his eyes in challenge, "Do you wish to answer to the Master?"

"No, not really. But last time I checked, Master Legato was the only one allowed to speak to the Master." Midvalley replied casually as he sauntered out the door.

----

Zazi stopped and looked up at the roof of a building to his left, "What do you want?"

Jumping down from the roof and closing her wings behind her as she landed, Kurane regarded the young demon, "I just want to find out a few things." He raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. After a few moments of silence, his expression grew impatient and Kurane continued, "...How is Legato? I assume he's doing well since he's so important to the plans of that stupid homicidal son of a-" She bit her tongue to hold back the rest of the words.

A look of boredom crossed the demon's face, "Your lover is well."

"WHA!?!" A deep blush lit her cheeks as she glared at him, "Lover is too strong a word, and our relationship is none of your damn business Zazi!!"

His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he regarded the still-blushing demoness, "How the hell did you know my name?" The blush dissipated slowly as Kurane regained her composure, 'I'm telepathic.' Zazi tilted his head to the side as he reevaluated the volatile woman and the potential trouble she could give a certain puppet master.

Kurane raised an eyebrow at the sudden vicious grin that crossed Zazi's face, "Leave me out of your plans." A frown crossed her face, 'Knives probably already knows I'm alive...damn that's gonna screw up my plans.'

Zazi smirked, reading her expression perfectly, "You help me, I help you."

"What did you have in mind?"

"You give Leonof the Puppet Master grief, and I'll make sure the master doesn't find out that you're alive. Deal?" Kurane's evil grin was answer enough.

----

Wolfwood was waiting when she arrived at the restaurant, "What kept you?"

She shrugged, "A demon by the name of Zazi." A quiet chuckle escaped her, "He's a cute kid...well; his host is at any rate." He sweatdropped as he followed the strangely happy demoness into the restaurant.

----

Alex peered over at Kurane as she walked in and gave her a glare to let her know she was late for her shift. She walked over as she grabbed a tray, "Gomen Alex, I got a little sidetracked." She flashed him an apologetic smile as she walked over to get an order from the kitchen.

Anna walked over to her with a full tray, "Are you still up for a game of mahjong after work?"

Kurane grinned at her friend as she loaded her tray, "Sure, if you don't mind teaching me." The two walked towards the tables just as the door opened and three new customers walked in.

"Whoa, who's that?" one of the waitresses near the two friends whispered quietly. At the sight of the tallest of the trio, Kurane nearly dropped her tray, rushing back from the curtain separating the kitchen from the rest of the diner.

Grabbing her friend's shoulder, Anna tried to steady her, "Hey, what's the matter?"

Kurane shook her head, "Nothing, I was just a little startled that's all." She closed her eyes for a moment, 'I didn't expect to see Legato so soon...jeez, he really scared me.'

Wolfwood walked over, "Kurane?" He looked through the curtain and saw Legato, "I'll be damned..."

----

Vash sighed, at the rate they were traveling; it would take hours to get to Inepril. A worried look crossed his face as he glanced down at the ring Kurane had given him, 'Imouto-san...'

Meryl frowned at him, "Pay attention!"

He jumped, startled out of his thoughts, "What?"

She sighed, "It's going to take hours to get to Inepril at this rate, and we're running out of water."

Millie muttered, "I'm thirsty."

Vash nodded, but didn't say anything. Meryl growled at him, "Why are we going to Inepril anyway? Mai city is much closer!"

He shook his head, "I need to go to Inepril, but there's no reason for you to follow me. If you to need rest, go to Mai city."

Meryl twitched, "And leave you unsupervised? I don't think so!"

He stopped, "It might be dangerous where I'm going."

She gave him a flat stare, "Vash, it's always dangerous where you go. You're a trouble magnet!!" He sighed and continued walking.

----

Kurane rested her head against the wall in the staff area, a tired sigh escaping her lips. A couple other waitresses walked in and sat nearby. Mina smirked at Kurane, "That blue-haired hottie was staring at you the entire time you know. He couldn't take his eyes off you." Kurane sighed, 'Tell me something I don't know.'

Carine nodded with a grin, "You should put some effort into it. He's obviously interested in you." The only response she got was an irritated glower.

There was a commotion from the front and all three waitresses glanced towards the door when Alex came running in. He swore vividly, "Damn stupid Rodericks! What the hell are they doing this far north?"

Kurane's eyes narrowed, "You mean the Roderick slavers?" He nodded and then winced at the homicidal gleam that appeared in her eyes, 'No bloodbaths please Kurane.' She grinned wickedly, 'I'll see what I can do, but no promises.' He slumped against the wall, 'Why me?' She put her hand on his shoulder, 'Because you're special, Alex.'

Mina bit her lip, "We've never had to deal with them before...what should we do?" All eyes turned to the demoness.

She arched an eyebrow, "Why are you all looking at me?"

Alex gave her a look that said the answer should be obvious, "You've dealt with them before, so you have more experience with them than we do."

The demoness gave a resigned sigh before cracking her knuckles, "Alright, here's the game plan: You guys pass the word to all the patrons not to panic and keep everyone calm while I try to get the slavers to leave."

Carine raised an eyebrow, "Get them to leave? They'll never go for that...but you're counting on that aren't you?" Kurane smirked and walked out of the room.

----

"About time." One of the slavers commented impatiently when Lynn walked over to their table with several bottles of the finest wine the restaurant had. Her eyes held a nervous look when they met Kurane's, and the demoness cast a reassuring glance at her friend.

Pulling out her pencil and pad of paper, Kurane forced a calm smile to her face as she walked over to Legato's table, "So, what can I get you guys?"

Midvalley smiled at her, "Coffee, please." Zazi shook his head, deciding not to order anything for the time being.

Legato met Kurane's gaze, "Cheesecake, please."

She dropped her eyes to the pad of paper, "Alright, what flavor? We have blueberry, strawberry, cherry and plain."

"Plain."

----

Shane paused on his way past the restaurant when he heard the commotion inside, 'The restaurant's unusually noisy today...I wonder what's going on.' He instinctively hid in the shadows of a nearby building when the back door opened and Anna walked out and started fuming at no one in particular, "Damn Rodricks! Who the hell do they think they are anyway?" After a few minutes, she sighed and stormed back inside.

His eyes widened, "The Roderick Slavers? That's not good." Sneaking around to one of the windows, Shane peered in for a few moments before pulling out his drawing pad and pencil. He paused for an instant and peered back in, his eyes meeting Legato's. A shudder ran down his spine as he returned to drawing, making sure to get the details right in an effort to forget those eyes. Once he was finished drawing, he snuck away into one of the alleys, "Zac will definitely want to know about this."

----

Kurane walked over to a table near the wall and the man sitting there looked up at her with blank eyes. She glanced at Legato out of the corner of her eye and muttered something under her breath. There was a momentary silence before he spoke, "The others will be taken care of."

She sweatdropped, 'Was that supposed to be reassuring, Legato?' There was no response, and there was no missing the slight grin that curved his lips.

There was a commotion behind her and one of the slavers shouted at her, "Hey waitress! We're almost ready to leave so get the bill!" Kurane twitched, 'About time they got out of – Waitaminute...they would never ask for the bill...' She turned towards them and her eyes widened. One of them was holding a gun to Lynn's head and another was doing the same to Anna.

----

Derik walked over to his twin brother, the other orphans of the thieves' guild gathering around, "Onee-sama is in trouble."

Zac, the guild leader, sighed, "Isn't she always? What kind of trouble is she in this time?" Shane held up the sketch he had made while peering in through the window. Zac whistled appreciatively, "Roderick slavers. She definitely knows how to get in trouble."

Shane spoke up, "That's not all. This guy over here -" He pointed at Legato, "- is dangerous too, and I could tell he had an interest in her." There were a few minutes of silence as Zac was caught up in a sudden memory.

- Flashback -

Kurane looked over at Zac, "Did you sleep well last night?"

He nodded, "I did thanks." A smirk crossed his face, "I think you slept better than the rest of us though."

She chuckled, "I dunno about that, you were smiling in your sleep when I checked on you."

He blinked before he remembered being carried to bed, "Hnn...waitaminute, when were you awake?"

"Around midnight." Kurane glanced over at Wolfwood before her eyes rested again on Zac. She whispered quietly, "That was the first time anyone has ever acted like a father towards you, wasn't it?" He nodded and they finished their breakfast quietly.

- End Flashback -

Zac was silent for a few moments longer; this time deciding what the best course of action was. He grinned when he was ready, "Alright. Sheryl, Josephine and Shane; you guys head over there and keep an eye on the situation. If Kurane comes out with anyone, Shane, get drawing. Jamie, Rosalind and Michael; follow them from the other side of the street. Derik and Tony; head to the North gate. Vash should be arriving today from what I heard, so keep an eye out for him. Jacob you're with me; we'll head to the South gate in case he's heading up from Felnarl."

----

The commander smirked, "Thought that might get your attention. Now come with us willingly or we'll be forced to kill these nice people; starting with him." As he finished the sentence, he aimed at Alex.

Flashback –

"Alex, put this on under your shirt; the closer to your heart the better."

He blinked at the small pouch of red liquid, "What the hell is that?"

Kurane rolled her eyes, "It's called a pouch of fake blood, now put it on!"

"Why?"

"Just a premonition."

- End Flashback -

Kurane closed her eyes for a moment, 'How am I gonna pull this off? How the hell...' A slow grin spread across her face and she laughed, "Go ahead, shoot him. Why the hell would I care?"

Alex's eyes widened, 'Kurane what the hell are you thinking!?!' She gave him a slight wink, 'Get ready to do the usual.' He blinked a couple times, and then had to bite his tongue to stop from smirking as he figured out her plan.

"So you don't care? Fine then."

Alex took that as his signal and glared at Kurane, "What are you doing, wench!!" As usual, she twitched and a pulsing vein appeared in her temple before she grabbed a table and threw it at him.

- Interruption -

Wolfwood: How is that going to save him?

Kurane: Be quiet and you'll learn.

Vash: Hey Wolfwood, why aren't you helping?

Wolfwood: Good question. *glances at Kurane* Well?

Kurane: *twitch*...Shut up! I'm working on it!!

- End Interruption -

The bullets and the table hit Alex so closely together, that Kurane wasn't certain if he had survived or not. Glancing at her, the commander smirked, "Are you sure you didn't care?"

Walking over to Alex, she fought to ignore Lynn's tears. She glanced down at him; the pouch of fake blood had ruptured when the table hit him, and the thickness of the table had shielded him from the bullets. As Kurane watched, Alex opened one eyelid a crack. Anna looked over at Kurane, "Is he dead?"

Forcing the faint smirk from lips, she turned to her friends, "He's dead." Kurane's eyes met Lynn's tear-filled ones, 'It's ok, he isn't dead. Keep crying though, I need them to think he died.'

Anna saw the surprise flicker across the young waitress' face and shook her head, 'He's good at faking death. Although I guess he's used to getting hit with tables, isn't he?'

Kurane sweatdropped, 'Eheheh, yeah.' She glanced past the curtain at Wolfwood, 'There you are! Why haven't you been helping?'

He stretched with a smirk, 'You seem to have it under control. Besides, I probably would have been in the way.'

A flicker of amusement lit her eyes, 'True, you are very good at being in the way.' She glanced over at Carine and Mina, who were still trying to sneak the patrons out the back door without being noticed and cracked her knuckles, 'Hurry it up a bit. Things are about to get violent.'

Carine paused and cast a glance at Kurane, '_About_ to get violent? Alex nearly got killed. I'd say things are already violent.'

The commander walked over to the distracted waitress and reached for her arm, "Come on already. Let's get moving."

Wolfwood sighed and came out from behind the curtain with his pistols drawn and aimed at the slaver, "Are you sure you want to do that?" The other Rodericks laughed and aimed at him.

Eyes narrowing in anger, Kurane shifted into her demon form and moved between Wolfwood and the commander of the Rodericks, "Bad move."

----

As gunfire and screams sounded from the restaurant and patrons ran out the doors, Shane glanced over at Jamie, the concern in his eyes mirroring hers. Josephine put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Onee-sama's fine and so are the others." He nodded, but the concern on his face didn't diminish.

Sheryl bit her lip, "I hope Lynn isn't hurt."

The other two turned to look at her, "Lynn?"

"My big sister."

----

Covered in blood, mostly from the Rodericks, and holding a terrified Lynn while running for the cover of the counter, Kurane was in a bad mood. Her mood lightened somewhat when she saw someone helping Alex get out from under the table. Her eyes narrowed however, when she recognized the person as Midvalley. Lynn broke free of her grasp and ran to Alex, holding him tight. Midvalley turned to the demoness and noticed her few wounds, "You should take better care of yourself, Kurane."

"You could help deal with them you know." She growled as she grabbed a wet cloth and started wiping away the blood.

"There are still Rodericks over here Kurane!" Wolfwood called. With a sigh, Kurane extended her claws and prepared to rejoin the fight.

Anna grabbed her friend's wrist, "Hold still a minute." She grabbed a wet cloth and wiped some blood from her friend's face. Kurane smirked, 'Take care of the love birds will ya?' A frown of annoyance crossed Anna's face, '...Fine.'

There were several screams followed by a series of gunshots and Kurane shuddered, fearing that she knew what it meant. Standing to look around, she wasn't surprised to see Wolfwood moving towards her. She also wasn't surprised to see that all but one of the Roderick slavers was dead. With a muttered curse, she ended the slaver's terror.

----

Vash smiled, "We're almost at Inepril!" His grin proved to be infectious, as Millie and even Meryl joined in.

"I'm so glad we can finally rest soon!" Millie sighed.

Meryl blinked, "Who's that?" She pointed to a small child near the gate of Inepril.

Vash tilted his head to the side, "I don't know." Mentally, he tensed, 'That must be one of the kids from the thieves' guild Kurane watches over. That's not a good sign.' Without a word of explanation, he sped up.

Derik recognized the man rushing his way as Vash and turned to Tony, "I'll lead him to the restaurant, you notify Zac." Tony nodded and ran off.

----

Legato stood and approached Kurane, Zazi following behind. She sighed, "Time to leave so soon?" He nodded and as their eyes met, she felt an overwhelming compulsion to sleep. He caught her before she fell and, casting a cursory glance at Wolfwood, he turned to leave.

Anna's eyes widened and she stepped in front of the four, "Stop right there! What the hell do you think you're doing!?! You can't just take her with you!"

Wolfwood walked over and pulled her out of the way, "She'll be fine. Don't worry."

She nearly slapped him as the four left the restaurant, "How could you do that? You should be protecting her!"

"It's not that simple." He heard her voice in his mind again, '_I want to go with him, so Onii-san, please take care of everyone for me. Oh, and could you wash the dishes from breakfast? I didn't get a chance, and I don't want them to be all moldy when..._if_ I come back._' Wolfwood frowned, "Besides, it's what she wants."

- Interruption -

Wolfwood: Why do I always get portrayed as the bad guy?

Zac: You _are_ working for Legato.

Kurane: He's got you there Nico-Nii. Besides, you don't _always_ get portrayed as the bad guy.

Wolfwood: True.

- End Interruption -

Vash followed Derik to the restaurant, and when he saw the look on the orphans' faces, he knew it was too late. He walked over to Zac, "What happened?" Without a word, Zac handed him the picture drawn by Shane. Vash trembled slightly, "No..." His features hardened, "Damn you, Legato!"

Zac blinked at him, "Legato?"

Meryl and Millie had caught up to him by then, so Vash didn't answer the guild leader's question. He handed the picture back to Zac and walked away. Meryl called to Vash, but when he didn't answer or stop walking, she looked down at the orphan, "Can I see that?" After studying the picture for a minute, she gazed at Zac, "Who took this photo?"

Shane blinked at her, "Photo? That's a drawing."

Meryl's eyes widened, "You drew this?" He nodded, blushing somewhat.

Millie glanced at the drawing over her friend's shoulder, "Wow! You are really talented!"

"Who's the woman in this drawing? I swear I've seen someone like her before."

Derik walked over to her, "Her name's Kurane."

'That's why Vash is so upset, she's the one he mentioned the other night. Waitaminute...I _have_ seen her before!!' Meryl twitched as she realized exactly who she was looking at. She gave the drawing to Shane and ran after Vash, "Vash! Wait up!" Despite his expression, she couldn't reign in her anger, "You never told me that this Kurane is also the Demoness!! Why the hell didn't you mention that little detail!?!"

Vash avoided her gaze, "Don't follow me. Where I'm going is too dangerous for you."

Wolfwood walked over to them, "And just where are you going Vash?"

When Vash looked up at him, his eyes were glowing blue, "I'm going to save Kurane."

----

Rai Dei the Blade looked down at the unconscious demon, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes, 'She has been to the realm of death...I wonder, what did she see? She must have attained Bushido (A/N: Bushido means spiritual awareness.).' Without hesitation, he picked her up and carried her from the room.

----

Discomfort. That was the first sensation Kurane registered as she came around, and also her first clue that something was wrong. Her next clue was when she opened her eyes to find herself chained to a wall in what looked for all the world like a dungeon. When a man dressed as a samurai approached, Kurane arched an eyebrow, 'Did I hit my head on something? Or am I drunk out of my wits? Or is it both?'

Rai Dei approached her, "You are finally awake. How do you feel?"

"I'm chained to a wall and I really want to shoot someone. Is that the answer you were looking for?" She smirked with a pulsing vein in her temple.

He blinked in surprise, "Not exactly." He quickly regained his composure, "You have seen the realm of death have you not?"

Her expression revealed a rapidly fading patience, "So what if I have? What does it matter to you?"

"Tell me what you saw. I must know if I wish to attain Bushido!"

Amusement flicked across her face, "Spiritual awareness is overrated. Besides, I wasn't conscious before I died, so didn't see anything."

A devastated look set into his face, "That can't be...You must have seen something!"

----

Dominique looked out the window in boredom, "This place is dull." She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "What the – oh, it's only you Chase."

He grinned impishly as he took a seat, "This place is about to get a bit livelier, but I may need some help from you."

Her eyes narrowed at him, "What do you want?"

Chase sighed, "A friend of mine has managed to get herself into a bit a trouble, and I was hoping you would be willing to help her."

"Her? Leave me out of your girlfriend's problems." She growled, giving him a flat glare.

His eyes widened, "Girlfriend?" Chase chuckled quietly, "Somehow I don't think Kurane would find that amusing."

"Kurane? You mean -? Legato's jewel is here?"

"Yes, and Rai Dei is trying to pry the secrets of Bushido out of her." There was a loud explosion from the basement and Chase burst out laughing, "Let me rephrase that, he _was_ trying to pry the secrets of Bushido out of her."

Dominique couldn't suppress an amused chuckle, "I guess she doesn't need my help."

"Actually -"

----

Kurane looked up when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, "Who's there?"

Dominique looked in at the hostile, blood-covered demoness and her eyes widened, "Wow." She walked over the charred pile of Rai Dei and approached Kurane, "They didn't bother to clean you up while you were unconscious, huh?"

The demoness regarded the blood still covering her, "Guess not." She shrugged and muttered under her breath, "Doesn't matter anyway."

Dominique shook her head and unlocked the chains binding Kurane to the wall, "Come on, I'll show you to your room and you can clean up and change your clothes."

"Thanks."

(A/N: Once again, I am very sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up. Obviously, I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot and the members of the orphan thieves' guild. Hopefully, next chapter won't take as long as this one did.)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sheryl called quietly as she approached a familiar brunette, "Lynn?" Her sister was in the arms of Alex, whom she recognized from what Kurane had told the thieves' guild about him.

Lynn looked down at the girl, startled, "Yes?"

"...Onee-sama!" she shouted as she threw her arms around her sister's waist, almost knocking her to the ground. Her grip tightened, "I was so worried that you had been hurt!"

"S-Sheryl? Is that you? I've been looking for you for years! Where have you been?" The young waitress was down on her knees, holding her sister.

The young thief smiled and rested her head against her sister's shoulder, "Yes, it's me. I missed you so much!! Kurane's been taking care of me and the other pickpockets - er I mean the other kids." She winced at the slip and watched her sister's eyes carefully.

"I thought you were lost! I had no idea Kurane was watching over you! Why didn't she say anything?"

Sheryl blushed slightly, "She didn't know."

Lynn sighed and put her arms around her sister, "What am I going to do with you?"

----

Wolfwood watched over the group of people quietly. They were still cleaning and repairing the restaurant where Kurane had been working, though the job was almost finished. As his thoughts turned to the demoness, he remembered one of their last conversations.

-- Flashback —

Kurane turned to Wolfwood, "Please take care of Vash and the kids for me. He'll eventually need to know where I've been taken, but don't let him know too soon alright?"

He gave her a look of annoyance, "Why do I have to get stuck with the job of explaining things to him? I don't particularly want to explain to him that you eloped with the guy his psychotic brother sent to torment him!"

Her cheeks flushed red and a pained look crossed her face, "Wolfwood, please don't call it eloping. That would imply that we're running off to get married."

"I could arrange the marriage part you know." His grin turned mischievous, "It might just save me the trouble of a shotgun marriage."

"WOLFWOOD!!!" She shrieked indignantly.

-- End Flashback —

A slight smirk curled his lips as he walked over to join Vash and the insurance girls, 'She's so easy to tease sometimes.'

Vash gaped at Meryl, "What!?! You guys are leaving?"

The insurance agent gave him a flatly annoyed look, "Yes, as a matter of fact we are. We have to report in at headquarters, so try not to destroy anything while we're gone."

"But-!"

"But what, Vash?" She growled irritably.

His eyes filled with concern, "It's really dangerous out there. Do you want me to come with you, just to be safe?"

Millie smiled at him and turned to her partner, "Mr. Vash is so considerate, isn't he Meryl?"

Meryl's eyes softened, "Yes, but it's simply not possible for you to come with us."

The spiky-haired blonde pouted, "But why not?"

"I'm surprised that you need me to explain this to you, it should be obvious. You have a bounty on your head, and the insurance company would love to lock you away somewhere so they don't have to pay for the damage you cause." Meryl replied dryly.

"She's right, needle noggin. It would be a very stupid idea to walk right up to their doorstep." Wolfwood commented as he approached. Vash opened his mouth to protest, but closed it after a moment.

Millie hugged Vash, "Don't worry Mr. Vash, we won't be gone long! We just need to go report to our boss, and then we'll be back!"

Vash returned her hug, "Just be careful, both of you. I know you're not unarmed or defenseless, but be careful anyway." Meryl gave him a look of exasperation mixed with affection. He blinked; it was the look Kurane gave him each time she saved him from one disaster or another.

As the insurance agents walked out the gates, Wolfwood turned to Vash, "Aside form the fact that you've grown attached to them, why are you so worried about them traveling alone?"

"They usually type up a report and send it through the mail. It just seems kind of odd that they would suddenly need to go make a report in person." He muttered.

The traveling priest nodded, "I see what you mean. They'll be fine though; those two are tougher than they look."

----

Zazi the Beast watched the group gathered at the gate, his eyes switching between the girls and Vash. As the girls left the town, he scowled in annoyance, "This damn mission is such waste of my time. Those two won't be hard to catch at all. Even Leonof could do this without trouble." He jumped down from the roof where he had been watching and headed for the gate, he had some insurance agents to kidnap.

----

Millie paused in the middle of her story; her partner hadn't said a word in the last few minutes. She turned to look at Meryl, and stopped in her tracks, "Meryl-?" That was all she got out before darkness engulfed her. She felt the softness of sand under her cheek, and then knew no more.

----

Zazi glanced down at the tall girl, he had expected some resistance from her, but she hadn't had enough time evidently. He resisted the urge to kick the insurance agent, "Tch. This was definitely a waste of my time." Concentrating, he called a sandworm to him. Might as well take the fast route back since Master Legato expected him.

----

Kurane glanced at Midvalley as he entered the room, "Oy Midvalley, do you know where Zazi went? I haven't seen him since breakfast."

The saxophone player turned to the demoness who was lounging comfortably on the sofa, "If I remember correctly, he went on a retrieval mission. It wasn't a difficult one, so he should be back soon."

"A retrieval mission?" Kurane arched an eyebrow, "What for?"

"Oh, just to get something Master Legato feels we need." He replied calmly.

Suspicion passed over the demoness' features, "Oh, and what does Legato feel we need? Nothing that would cause me to be irritated with someone I hope?"

Without missing a beat, Midvalley smiled, "Of course not, it's just a couple things he forgot to pick up while we were in town that's all."

"Hmm. By the way, have you seen Rem and Yume? I can't find them anywhere!" She rose from where she was lazing and approached him.

Midvalley blinked in confusion, "Who?"

A small grin played over her lips, "The cats I found last night, remember? I named the black one Rem, and the calico Yume."

"Oh, those two! Last I saw, they were in Legato's room."

Kurane's face paled, "In Legato's room…?" She shuddered, "I have a bad feeling about that…"

He smiled dryly, "Can't imagine why."

Kurane was about to reply when a calico fur ball came running into the room and collided with her leg. She paused and looked down, "Well speak of the devils, and one of them appears." Seconds later, a black cat came sauntering into the room and sat down in front of her. "And there's the other one. Good to see that they didn't get into trouble."

The saxophone player raised an eyebrow, "You were concerned about them?"

The demoness smiled as she picked up the aforementioned calico, "Of course, I love my cats." She nuzzled the calico affectionately as she settled back on the sofa. Silence reigned for a few moments, before Kurane glanced up at Midvalley again, "What is Legato up to, anyway?"

Midvalley shook his head, "I don't know, and I don't ask. It's generally safer that way." At the sound of Kurane laughing, he raised an eyebrow, "What's so funny? I was being serious."

She smiled, "I realize that. It's just that none of you know how to deal with him. There's a way to get information without risking your life, you know."

"Oh? And that would be…?"

Rem jumped onto the sofa and nuzzled Kurane's hand. The demoness scratched the cat behind the ears absently, "He has a weakness for a certain drink, but I don't think I'm going to tell you what drink. I could be convinced to, if you tell me the objective of Zazi's mission."

He smiled faintly, "If I told you that information, I might find myself on the receiving end of Master Legato's anger."

"Suit yourself. I'll find out sooner or later what Zazi went to retrieve." She replied as she stretched out on the couch with the cats curling up on her stomach.

Midvalley smiled, "Made yourself at home, haven't you?"

"Do I have a choice? I can't exactly run away, now can I? Well, I could, but it would be pointless." She scratched Yume under the chin and smiled contentedly.

----

Vash paced around the kitchen restlessly. He had a bad feeling about Meryl and Millie being gone, but there wasn't much he could do about it since he didn't know which city they were headed to. He sighed, "I'm so bored."

"Then why don't you clean up the dishes from breakfast, instead of wearing out Kurane's kitchen floor?" Came a voice from the doorway.

"Eh?" He turned and saw Wolfwood giving him an amused smirk. He glanced at the dishes and shrugged, "Guess I might as well, since there's nothing else to do right now."

Wolfwood watched Vash for a moment before he spoke, "Why didn't you follow them? I know you were thinking about it."

"One, Meryl would have killed me for following her. Two, it would be kind of stupid to go right up to the insurance company. And three, I should stay here and look after the place for Kurane. That includes taking care of the local thieves' guild." He replied as he rinsed one of the plates.

A smirk crossed the priest's face, "So, basically you're playing housekeeper."

Vash sweatdropped, "Well, that's not how I would have put it…."

"Maybe not, but it amounts to the same thing, doesn't it?" He leaned against the counter and dried the dish Vash handed him.

The spiky-haired blonde glanced at him out the corner of his eye, "By the way, when are you going to ask him to give back your necklace?" Wolfwood blinked at him for a second, before suddenly feeling for his cross necklace.

"That little -! When I get my hands on him I'm going to kill him!" He growled venomously. It was fortunate for Vash that his laughter went unheard, or at least unnoticed.

Wolfwood was about to yell something, when Zack walked in the door and gave them both a mock salute, "Yo."

The priest's eyes locked onto the guild master, "You! Give me back my necklace you little twerp!"

The young pickpocket wandered over to the cabinet and rummaged through it for something to eat. He poked his head out with an apple clenched in his teeth. He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and held it up as he took a bite from the apple, "You mean _this_ necklace?"

Wolfwood twitched, "Yes, _that_ necklace. Now give it back!"

Zack sauntered towards the door and gave Wolfwood a cheeky little grin, "You'll have to catch me first." He gave them another mock salute as he left, "See ya."

Vash tried very hard not to laugh as Wolfwood twitched. The priest growled out a curse as he ran out the door after the little thief, "Damn it!"

----

As Zach reached a safe hiding place, he doubled over laughing, "Honestly, that priest is so entertaining." He grew quiet after a few moments and looked at the necklace, suddenly lost in thought. Kurane's comment the other day had been right on the mark. No one had ever acted like a father towards him before that night.

Wolfwood approached the youth and stopped a few steps in front of him, the lonely expression on the child's face having melted his earlier anger. He held out his hand, "Can I have my necklace back now?"

Zach's voice was quiet as he spoke, an orphan's loneliness quiet audible in his tone, "Can't I hold on to it…just for a little while longer?"

A sigh escaped Wolfwood, he couldn't be angry with the kid now. Not after seeing the all too familiar loneliness on his face. The gunman's lips curved into a slight, exasperated smile, "Let's get some lunch. I hear that Alex's diner has been more or less fixed up."

The young thief smiled, "Really!?! Thanks Nii-chan!" He paused as the words escaped his lips, uncertain how the older male would react.

Wolfwood blinked in surprise for a moment, and then tousled the boy's hair, "Let's go. I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry."

----

Kurane wandered through the Rec. Room, enjoying the autumn weather and the colors of the leaves. She paused as a snowflake drifted down from the sky, and was quickly followed by another. She looked up into the sky, and her eyes widened, "…Oh shit." That was when an avalanche worth of snow dropped on her and the rest of the room. Kurane quickly dug herself out of the snow and with homicidal intent, went running through the halls towards the control room.

Rem gave Kurane a startled look as she came bursting through the door, "Kurane?"

Said demoness was twitching, "Rem!! You didn't tell me about the spontaneous season change in the Rec. Room!! I just got an avalanche worth of snow dumped on my head!!"

The brunette blinked in honest surprise, "I didn't tell you about that? …Oops." Kurane's attention turned to Vash, who was laughing his ass off in the corner, and she dragged him out of the room by the wrist.

As Kurane opened the door to the Rec. Room, Vash gasped, "Wow, this is amazing! It's so beautiful!" She muttered something under her breath before she pushed him face-first into the snow, which was soft and deep enough that he sunk right in. Vash came up out of the snow, laughing. He grabbed a handful of snow and started making a snowball, which he chucked at Kurane.

Ducking out of the way, Kurane smiled, "So, he's making snowballs hmm? Could make this interesting." Vash came running out of the room with another snowball in his hand and there was no chance to duck…

----

Kurane awoke with a start, she hadn't dreamed about when Vash was young in a long time. She shook her head, "I thought I had forgotten that."

Midvalley entered the room with two mugs of coffee and offered her one, "Forgotten what?" It had surprised him a little to find that Kurane had left the sofa to return to her room and sleep, though he hadn't been surprised that she had slept through to the next morning.

Taking the offered coffee, she took a sip, "Something from a long time ago."

He sat down on one of the chairs near the bed and took a sip of his own coffee, "How long ago?" The curiosity in his eyes wasn't hard to see.

She took another sip of her coffee and glared at him over the mug's rim, "I'm not telling you." Quietly, she whispered, "It would make me feel old."

Midvalley regarded her thoughtfully, "Hmm, something from before Master Legato found you, I'm guessing. From before he met Knives I would bet."

A warning note crept into her voice, "Midvalley, I would advise you to drop the subject if you wish to continue living."

"I'm guessing it was…" He eyed her speculatively, "a hundred and ten years ago, give or take a couple."

A depressed, pouting look stole over her face, "Now I feel old…"

He laughed quietly, "Just think, if Knives gives you any trouble, you can tell him to respect his elders."

Kurane downed the rest of her coffee, "No I cant, he and Vash are older than I am. Especially if you don't count the years in cold sleep."

"Really? I didn't know that." Midvalley replied, a smile still playing about his lips. He paused when he saw her suddenly look even more depressed, "What is it?"

"I just remembered something I read in one of the medical files from the ship." She muttered quietly. Getting up from the bed and putting her mug on the table, Kurane walked over to the wall and smacked her head against it.

Midvalley arched an eyebrow at her, "Umm…Kurane? What's the matter?"

The demoness let out a wail, "I AM OLDER THAN THEY ARE!! BY TEN FREAKING YEARS!!!" Biting his tongue so he didn't burst out laughing, Midvalley walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

"I think you need breakfast…and more coffee." He told her as he guided her towards the door, adding as an afterthought, "Besides, you're only older than they are if you count the years in cold sleep."

She nodded, "Yeah, but still…I feel old now." It took a lot of restraint on Midvalley's part not to laugh as they walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Zazi was waiting for them as they entered the room, a grim expression on his face that heralded bad news. Kurane tensed, a sudden chill running down her spine "What's wrong Zazi?"

The short blond gazed up at her, "Master Knives knows that we have a new resident here, and he is insisting that Master Legato bring her to him." In the silence that reigned after the announcement, Kurane found that her appetite had completely vanished to be replaced by a cold knot in her stomach.

(A/N: Wow this chapter took forever and a million years to get finished, though most of the problem was procrastination and lazy muses. Anyway, I don't own Trigun or the characters, only the plot. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!)


End file.
